Washington State Football Player Shot Following Apple Cup

A football player from Washington State was shot in his apartment early Sunday morning, right after the Apple Cup matchup against Washington University.

Sone Fararello, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman, is recovering from surgery after being shot during a dispute at Aspen Heights Apartments in Pullman, according to multiple reports.

The shooting happened around 1:47 AM local time, and Fararello was rushed to Pullman Regional Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Thankfully, the bullet missed any vital organs.

Police have named 20-year-old Jakori Cezon Buchanan, a UW student, as the suspect in the shooting. A judge has issued a felony arrest warrant, citing first and fourth-degree assault charges against him.

As of Monday, police reported Buchanan was still at large, driving a rental vehicle.

Court documents reveal that Fararello and his teammates, Jaylyn Caldwell and Xavier Thorpe, had been asked to help maintain order at the party due to prior noise complaints. Witnesses indicated that Buchanan was causing problems throughout the event.

One woman informed law enforcement that Buchanan had physically assaulted her, punching her in the face, and was later advised to retaliate differently.

After a second altercation ensued, Fararello got involved again with Buchanan, who was forcefully taken down, as shown in surveillance footage.

The situation escalated when a friend of Buchanan intervened, prompting him to draw a firearm from his waistband and fire a shot that struck Fararello.

Authorities believe that Fararello, Caldwell, and Thorpe were cooperating with investigators and had no previous criminal records.

Originally from Alaska, Fararello began his college football journey at the University of Idaho. He didn’t participate during his freshman year and transferred to WSU in the offseason. So far, he hasn’t played in any games for WSU.