Minnesota Vikings rookie defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman was wounded from a shooting Monday as he was visiting family in Washington, D.C., his team confirmed Monday evening.
Twyman was shot four times, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who was first to report the incident. Rosenhaus said it was a “wrong place, wrong time” situation.
The Vikings said in their statement they had been in touch with Twyman and his family and are "extremely thankful Jaylen is expected to make a full recovery."
Twyman, 21, was born in the nation’s capital and attended H.D. Woodson High School in Northeast Washington.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
He was reportedly in his car when he was shot, but the shots only made superficial exit wounds. Twyman was visiting his aunt when the incident occurred.
Twyman went to the University of Pittsburgh after amassing 91 tackles and nine sacks his senior season at Woodson. As a redshirt sophomore at Pitt, he notched 41 tackles and 10.5 sacks while starting all 13 games. The Vikings selected him in the sixth round, no. 199 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Twyman was interviewed by the Washington Post in 2016 about the violence that has plagued D.C. He said one of the main reasons he is so dedicated to football is because he wanted to get his family out of the situation they were in.
“My family members, every other week, one of them deceased or one of them just in a shootout or one of them locked up,” Twyman said “It’s just pushed me to try to get everybody, get all my family members, out of poverty. Nobody needs to be around this.”
Vikings rookie Twyman shot while visiting family in DC originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
