Star Kennesaw State University Quarterback Killed, Police Offer $10,000 Reward Leading To An Arrest

Information leading to the arrest of the gunman who killed an 18-year-old quarterback from Kennesaw State University is set at $10,000.

Ladarius Clardy was killed in his car, after he left a friend’s house, driving on a main road in Pensacola, 11 Alive reported.

The gunman reportedly fired 50 shots at Clardy’s vehicle, most of them into the driver’s door, according to Sheriff Chip Simmons at a press conference.

Simmons initially offered $5,000 for information, but it was recently doubled as the community copes with the loss of the promising football player. People close to him had nothing but nice things to say about him, People Magazine reported.

Police are not sure of the identity of the killer(s).

The incident happened on last Thursday, and around 1 a.m., where duties with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office gave assistance to the EMS. The deputies said they discovered a crashed black Honda Accord in a ravine wooded area, People Magazine reported.

Inside the car was Clardy and unidentified 19-year-old male, both were suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The 19-year-old passenger was taken to a local hospital, but Clardy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Clardy was an honor student, track and field at his old high student as well the quarterback at Pine Forest High School there, too, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

The Pensacola native’s skills on the field earned him a spot as a a quarterback at NCAA Division I FCS Kennesaw State University after graduating Pine Forest in 2020, USA Today reported.

The quarter’s death is a major loss to the Clardy’s family and the Panhandle city he represented

“I never thought I’d be on this side,” Clardy’s father, Ladaron Clardy, told USA Today.

“This is not someone who is a loose kid out there running the streets,” Pastor Joseph Marshall of St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church said at the press conference, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. “His family is very active. He attends our church, youth department, singing, participating in our entire youth department. I can’t express enough.”

Clardy’s death has rocked the community.

“This really broke the city,” family friend Jada Floyd told Fox 5 Atlanta. “Everybody, a lot of people in the city loved L.D. He was just. … He was a star.”

“I don’t know why we have to use guns nowadays but it’s getting out of hand because they killed somebody so innocent,” she said.

“Prayer can get us through it,” Floyd added.