University of Connecticut starting cornerback Jasper Howard, 20, was fatally stabbed during a fight after a fire alarm was pulled during a university dance at the UConn Student Union just after 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The Miami native, who was the first in his family to go to college, was about to become a father and had helped his team to a homecoming victory against Louisville on Saturday, just hours before his death. Police have not identified a suspect but are asking anyone with information to contact the campus police at 860-486-4800.
Known as “Jazz” to his teammates, Howard often talked about his tough time growing up in Miami and his dream to play professionally so he could support his family. According to the Hartford Courant, his mother, Joangila, worked many jobs to support him and his sisters, Keyondra and Jasmine, who is afflicted with meningitis.
“He was a good child, a wonderful, sweet, loving child. I just hope whoever did it turns himself in. [Jasper] didn’t deserve this,” Ms. Howard said.
Oh my I briefly heard about it yesterday. I’m sad for his family. That’s a fear of mine letting my son go off in the worlf (college) in a few years.. especially when they are a good kid and have a bright future only for one shattered soul to come stop it. HIs family is in my prayers. Amen
WTF is going on with this world? Every other day somebody is beat, stabbed, or shot. I’ m not even going to say stop the violence because its obvious that that is not going to happen. However R.I.P to Jasper Howard.
This is just so sad. It is just crazy to see things like this going on in places where young people are trying to create a sense of peace amongst the chaos that is going on. May this brother rest in peace and condolences to his family who are in sorrow and mourning now.
Read about this earlier 2day, my heart breaks learning, my thoughts and prayers r with his family, especially his unborn lil 1!
Read about this earlier 2day, my heart breaks learning, my thoughts and prayers r with his family, especially his unborn lil 1!
That’s terrible. Condolences to his family.
My prayers go out to his fam.
So sad.
People don’t get stabbed for no reason. He must have fooled with the wrong guy.
As a Uconn student it is heart breaking that we have lost another member of our community. The campus has a very eerie feeling and we are all wearing black and having a day of silence for him tomorrow, in hopes that the witnesses will speak up and to remember a member of our Uconn family. I really hope that the person responsible is convicted.
omg!!!
09 is not a good year!!!
Terrible times…senseless deaths
another brotha thats trying to make it and come up by doing something positive….misery sho does love company
@ Tony…My man..people DO get stabbed, shot, raped, beaten up for no reason. All it takes is one sick individual. I hate to hear stories like this. Young brother trying to do good in the world and dream to help out his fam. Whoever did this need to turn there sorry ass in and face the concequences. If you don’t, may his spirit dog your every foot step with the revenge he deserves. God bless to his fam and try to stay strong.
Damn… I hope one of them racist white boys at his college didn’t plot this shit up…..
My prayers is prayed.
Wow so sad. My heart goes out to the family, his child will never know his/her father. Heartbreaking. This world is crazy. This Violence has to stop !!!!!
Thanks J. Dakar, and CL. Come on people open up the book (Bible) and read the word.
N*ggas is gettin murked at colleges…. You aint safe nowhere.. Gotta stay strapped AT ALL TIMES.. Even in class you gotta be strapped.
this is so sad may he rest in peace
DAMNIT! this ish is gettin ridiculous senseless effing violence
for no damned reason. people needa stop being so bitter & grimey
to the point where you escalate minor altercations into the death of
someone you probably don’t even know like since when did two
people not liking each other have to result in death? WTF
this saddens me sooooo much =(
#18 that was an ignorant ass statement!
how bout stop the violence ALTOGETHER
rather than promote weapons even if it is for self
defense SMMFH
This is very upsetting. What is going on in the world today? Lately, there have been so many senseless killings all over the country, this HAS to end immediately. This young man only wanted to make something out of himself and prove that you can actually be someone if you come from a rough neighborhood. I feel soo bad for his unborn child, but at least the child will have plenty of people there to help support it, as said by UConn’s co-captain. R.I.P. Jasper Howard. My prayers and deepest condolences go out to his family.
And Slim what will you do if they jack you up or your loved one. Some people are just ignorant in this world as their views only resort to violence and with some of those individuals there is no reasoning with them. I live by the Second Amendment (legally) and will withhold it since it is my constitutional right!
@21 Slim
Whatchu talkin bout Willis? First of all its my constitutional right to carry a Tool for self protection. And these days little white kids are shootin up schools like it’s Grand Theft Auto San Andres….. My lil cousin is 6 years old and if I was his daddy I would send him to school with a Lunchbox…. a sandwich, some chips, some cookies, and a juicebox… Plus a 22 Cal with a fully loaded magazine……. it’s crazy out there.. Real Talk!
These acts of violence must stop…it’s ridiculous and unnecessary!
I met Jasper in the summer of 2007 I was in Uconn’s Summer Program and He was doing summer practice we weren’t immediate friends but in the past year he has been nothing but nice to me he always was friendly always spoke even gave me a ride one time this should have never happened he was somebody with so much potential so many reasons to be here and his life was stolen away senselessly because somebody had issues with football players. This whole campus is mourning him and we will see that he gets justice!! I hope the individual that took his life suffers the highest penalty but also I send my prayers to his family and his child.
Despicable. that’s al. ugh.
God please help the family through this. I’m tired now we live in a sad world. The end I believe is truly closer then we think. We can’t keep saying rest in peace, thats sad, another one is gone, gone to soon, all thats fine but something is missing come on people lets put our heads together find GOD or what ever higher power you believe in in come together this has to stop. We have know love in our hearts if we allow this to continue in do nothing. Please people wake up stop hurting each other the killing has to stop. With that being said rest in peace son for what its worth you are in a far better place.:(
SMH!
prayers for his family and friends
Its so sad.
I was just drinking my coffee this morning and watching Good Morning America,
When I saw UConn jerseys all over the TV, so I un-muted it and was shocked for 10minutes. I knew Jasper. I had met him on New Years 2009 in Toronto.
The way I was about to break down; I could not explain. Yeah I had just known him for 3 or 4 days, but thats not the point. The point is that he was so full of life, and somebody took that away. Thats a damn shame.
Stop the violence. RIP Jasper.
what a fcked up thing to happen. that is so sad. a stabbing is personal too so they’ll find who did.
The black men that seem to take charge of their life and make something of themselves seem to be dying left and right…whats going on!?
Wow, that’s really sad.
“racist ass whiteboy”
?
I bet it was another black man. Just wait…..
WOW this is so sad when something like this happens to people that are doing well and trying to make something out of themselves. This world is coming to an end. I recently lost a friend last week due to violence. No one wins!!!! R.I.P Jasper
Wow! What a tragic event… really, really sad! R.I.P. Jasper Howard!
Oh my gee …… That is so sad! My prayers go out to him and his family.
@Educated Bafoon // Oh my you are very ignorant! Send a 6 year old child to school with a gun in his lunch box? ?! You “Ghettos” are so atrociously violent. This guy who was killed was probably killed by one of you “Ghetto Goons”! You should be ashamed!
all im saying is fighting violence w| more violence
even if its for self defense is not the answer and
will never solve the problem!
everyone’s situation is different if uu need
a loaded glock to feel safe i seriously pray
for your situation
Just heard on the news they arrested a suspect, and there should be more to come.
people have no respect for life. bring back the days when men fought like men, fists and nothing else. only weak little boys need weapons
I’M SO FREAKING SICK OF HEARING ABOUT VIOLENCE FROM THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
I am so sad to read this today. This clearly was motivated by Jealosy. My Mother taught me from a youung age be careful who you share your dreams with. There was someone who was destined for stardom all the wheels were in motion and this girls friend marked up her face with a knife just before she was to do a project with Will Smith. That was an opportunity of a lifetime and because of someones jealousy this girl missed out. Do not share all your dreams with just anybody.
@#18: Really….. being strapped in class. OMG!
@Tony Jr, it’s that kind of mentality that makes me sick. Why does the blame land on the victim and not the person who stabbed him? So what, we should all be extra careful now so we don’t get what’s coming to us? How does that even begin to change the fact that violence is just out of control right now? How many more stories are we going to have to hear about rising stars being beaten to death, shot, stabbed and whatever else? It’s hearing stories like this that make me worry about my younger brother who’s graduating top of his class this year.
@Educated Ass…Don’t sit there and spew garbage about your constitutional rights when you probably couldn’t even post the damn word without googling the spelling first. For starters that amendment was created 230 odd years ago, when we were a young country with little defense and bearing arms was necessity, not a luxury. And any fool, excuse me…any fool other than you would know that nowhere in the constitution does specify that it’s cool for minors to tote around weapons like they’re pet rocks.
And another thing, how do we know the assailant was white?
I was watching this story last night on ESPN. Just a sad story. Here is a young man trying to do the right thing, moved to another state to get away from the violence and ended up dying from senseless violence.
I heard this morning on the news that they made an arrest.
OMG!!!! LAWD!!!! WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO LEARN THAT KILLING SOMEBODY ONLY GETS YOU LIFE IN PRISON OR THE DEATH PENALTY!!!! SOME MF’ers ARE JUST SO F*CKING STUPID!!!!!! AND ITS PROBABLY ALL OVER SOMEBODY HATING ON THIS TALENTED YOUNG MAN B/C HE’s DOING GOOD AND THEY ARENT.
MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO HIS FAM 7 UNBORN CHILD, WHO WILL NEVER KNOW HIS/HER FATHER B/C OF STUPIDITY!!!!!
My heart is truly heavy for this grieving family. This young man’s life looked to have held so much promise and for some selfish bastard to take it away like that is so unfortunate. May God bless this family and Jasper’s soul…R.I.P.
cosign @TONYJR
im in college and the athletes here think they are royalty and disrespect people. he probably tried to show out on a guy and got put in his place.
My prayers go out to him and his family and his college football family too. This is so awful, I heard about this on Sunday morning. This is just so awful.
SMH, the value of a black man’s life = NOTHING…
I’m so sorry this had to happen to him. God bless his family and friends who are in mourn.
Whenever a murder occurs, people want to jump on the soapbox and rant about “non-violence” lol. If you’re non-violent, then you should leave America, because this country is a war machine that teaches violence as supremacy and imbues it’s citizens with a cavalier attitude towards destroying entire countries. At the very least, be knowledgeable about how this society is, and always has been run. As “Educated Goon” said, a man does have a right to bear arms in self-defense (allegedly, and for now). No one has a problem with a black man carrying a gun as long as he is an agent for white supremacy in the U.S. armed forces or as a policeman. Flip through a gun magazine sometime. It’s all white men training and honing their “self-defense” skills. Hopefully, for the sake of the man who was killed, his killer will be brought to justice according to the so-called “courts” of this land.
RIP to Jazz. May God have mercy on his soul….may his grace reach out to his fam, friends and teammates.
I AM SO SICK OF YOUNG BLACK MEN DYING. THAT HAVE SO MUCH GOING 4 THEMSELVES, SUCH AS DERRION ALBERT. HIS UNBORN KID WILL NEVER KNOW HIM. I’M PRAYING 4 HIS FAMILY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND. TIHS VIOLENCE IS SO SENSELESS. HOW CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING YOU’VE KILLED AN INNOCENT PERSON. TERRIBLE!
What the hell is going on with this people STABBING people to death alot lately in the news? People checking for guns @ the door? But damn check for knives, & razors too! What the hell?
This was a promising young man with so much to live for, & so much going for himself & then along comes an ass hole stabbing him to death,most likely over some stupid senseless shit.
People out there killing people like God handed them the job to take the LIFE of another person. A damn shame.
Somebody was “HATING HARD” on this young man. What a tragic outcome as an end result.
This is a cold, cold, world we live in with no VALUE of HUMAN LIFE. People who KILL dont realize how many others will HURT as a result of there careless & senseless act.
I AM TELLING U, NUCCAS CANT GO NOWHERE WITHOUT DOING SUMTHIN TRIFLING. PROBALY WAS SOMEONE WHOM WAS JEALOUS OF HIS TALENT OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN SUMTHIN ELSE. ANOTHER YOUNG TALENTED BLACK MALE LIFE WASTED.
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@49
I am a colege athelete and I habg with other athletes.. Actually most athletes don’t show out. Yes they are a few but trust its less than you think……like my coch sayd you are a target when you are an athlete and that’s true people assume your one way and attac hate or get jealous so please get ya mind right hell people get mad when you don’t give autographs but that doesn’t give them the righ to to go stabbing them
Why is there so much violence against young black kids today? Dang, I mean seriously! I read this story over the net yesterday, my heart and prayers go out to the family. We really need to stop killing each other (youth), take your anger and frustrations somewhere else…esp away from the innocent. Rest in peace my young brother!