Denver Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds is living a miracle after surviving getting shot twice last week in what could have been a foul and tragic story. The 29-year-old was reportedly stalked from a strip club and was hit by a pair of bullets.
The parties involved were incredibly able to keep the entire scene under wraps until a report from Alexander Kirk of 9NEWS almost seven full days after the Oct. 18 incident. That’s a century in today’s 24-hour, microwave news cycle.
Denver Broncos fans on social media are not happy about the delayed information and lack of info about Reynolds’ condition when first reported.
One X user said: “Why are we just now hearing about this????? Is he alive????
One comment with 378K views read: “Why is this just now getting reported??”
Why Was Denver Broncos WR Josh Reynolds Shot In Head Outside Of Strip Club?
If Reynolds had not escaped being shot in his left arm and grazed in the back of the head the public would have found out about this harrowing experience sooner. According to court documents another victim was also shot in his back, while a third was wounded by shattered glass.
According to reports a portion of southbound Interstate 25 was shut down on Monday afternoon as police investigated the shooting and followed up on the details related to the attempted murder last Friday.
According to 9NEWS, Kirk revealed on Thursday that the shooting directly involved Reynolds, who signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Denver Broncos in March. He’s currently on injured reserve and recovering from finger surgery and did not travel with the team for the Oct. 17 game at New Orleans, a 33-10 victory over the Saints.
Maybe being away from the team wasn’t the best thing for Reynolds, whose trip to an infamous low-energy strip club, apparently with some street-affiliated companions, almost resulted in his death. Pro athletes seem to get into these situations in the offseason or when they are injured and away from the team. Injuries can be hard for a player to deal with mentally and it’s tough to have the support of your teammates when they are in the middle of a season.
Shotgun Willies Is Famous Denver Strip Club Where Ja Morant Was Flashing Pistol
The victims said they were at Shotgun Willies. The gentleman’s club is the same one that Ja Morant rented out to enjoy his share of strippers and flash pistols back in 2023. His rise in the NBA hasn’t been the same since that incident went viral. Shotgun Willies (the name says it all) is metro Denver’s most legendary strip club.
According to reports, Reynolds and his left around 2:45 a.m. Upon their exit, several drivers followed the group in separate vehicles and fired the first shots. The suspects continued to follow them onto the highway, when their vehicle would no longer drive, and forced them to run. They were not sure if they were followed on foot.
Denver Broncos Need Josh Reynolds In The Offense
Josh Reynolds has 12 catches for 183 yards and a TD in five games this season. The eight-year veteran is a much-needed weapon for the Broncos. He’s a deep threat averaging a career-high 15.3 yards per reception.
Sean Payton’s Broncos have a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix running the show and he’s done an admirable job, leading them to a 4-3 record with the victory over the Saints.
There hasn’t even been a formal update on his condition yet, but we would have to assume that if he was critical the news would have circulated by now.
So, we have to assume that Reynolds is one of the luckiest human beings in the world. It’s a tough break for the receiver who was on his way to a career season after hauling in 608 yards, five TDs and 40 receptions in 2023 with the Detroit Lions, but according to reports, he’s already been participating in team activities like exercise, meetings, and other football-related activity.
James Palmer, a Denver Insider for Bleacher Report posted an update on his situation.
“Speaking to sources within the #broncos, WR Josh Reynolds miraculously was treated for what is described as only minor injuries and released within hours of what only can be described as a traumatic situation in the early hours of Friday morning,” Palmer wrote on X.
Was Anybody Arrested For Shooting Josh Reynolds In The Head?
Reports confirm that the Denver PD arrested two suspects in the case, Burr Charlesworth and Luis Mendoza. Charlesworth, reportedly is already singing like a bird and trying to throw his accomplice under the bus, telling investigators that he was “helping” a friend who asked him to follow Reynolds and his associates because of a prior conflict.
We don’t know if Reynolds was out here getting his Aaron Hernandez on or how deep his street affiliations go. It’s also unclear what the conflict was about or if Reynolds was directly involved or a victim of the wrong company. Or even a case of mistaken identity.
911 was called shortly after 3 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. Tohe caller who placed the distress communication was driving a blue Ford Bronco. Court documents note that the male caller stopped responding to the 911 operator and sounded like he was breathing heavily and running. Another 911 caller reportedly dialed in to say he was being followed and his friends had been shot.
A third caller said shots were being fired in their direction. One of those callers was Reynolds and so was one of the victims, but there’s no specific timeline on how long the incident lasted from start to finish.
We have to assume that Reynolds is alive at this point, but that old toxic mix of strip clubs, Black pro athletes being preyed upon by the streets, or staying too close to them almost ended a solid career. Not sure what the former Texas A&M star and fourth round pick of the LA Rams has going on in his personal life. Hopefully he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he’s not starving for food, and he has a family to take care of.
Reynolds Not First NFL Player Shot, Several Since 2022
In September, a 17-year-old boy shot San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the chest in a robbery attempt gone wrong. Pearsall was taking a stroll around 3:30 p.m. PT, when an altercation broke out between the two, resulting in both of them suffering injuries, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
Back in 2022, Washington Commanders rookie Brian Robinson Jr. was the victim of an attempted robbery in Washington, D.C., where he was shot. According to reports, he was shot multiple times.
He was also lucky.
It’s also reported that Robinson probably saved his own life as he “was able to wrestle a firearm away” from one of the two men attempting to rob him before the other suspect shot him twice, D.C. police said
Stay tuned for more developments on Reynolds’ condition.