Purdue football player recovering in hospital after shooting

Purdue football player Andrew Chelf is recovering at a local hospital after being shot near campus.

The victim of a West Lafayette, Indiana shooting over the weekend has been identified as Purdue University football player Andy Chelf.

Chelf suffered a single gunshot wound to his torso at approximately 3 am on Sunday. He is being treated at a local hospital.

Hours earlier the 20-year-old sophomore safety from Southlake, Texas had participated in Purdue’s Spring Game where he recorded seven tackles and recovered a fumble playing mostly with the Boilermakers second team.

Sunday morning Chelf tweeted out some encouraging words.

A day later the Purdue athletic department issued a statement offering their support for Chelf and the West Lafayette Police Department as they conduct their investigation of the shooting.

“First and foremost, we are thankful that Andy is on the road to recovery, and we are appreciative of the hospital staff. Our Office of the Dean of Students, as it does in any such case, has been in touch with Andy and his family to offer its assistance. A number of our coaches and players spent Sunday at the hospital. We certainly will do whatever we can to assist the West Lafayette Police Department in its investigation of the incident.”

As of Tuesday morning no arrests have been made following the incident. West Lafayette Captain David Van Vactor has said though that the gunshot wound is not thought to be self-inflicted and that they believe “there is a shooter.”

Chelf has played in his two seasons since joining the Boilermakers, partly owed to a torn ACL. He is expected to compete for significant playing time during the 2017 season.