Charges filed in murder of Dwane Simmons

An 18-year-old man faces charges in a shooting that killed Washburn University football player Dwane Simmons and wounded a friend who had been drafted hours earlier by the New York Giants.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Francisco Alejandro Mendez was charged Friday with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and five accounts of aggravated robbery.

It was unclear whether he had an attorney yet who could speak on his behalf.

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay’s office said in a news release Mendez is being held on a $1 million bond.

The shooting in the early hours of April 28 outside an off-campus party also injured cornerback Corey Ballentine, whom the Giants drafted in the sixth round. Ballentine has since recovered. Simmons died at the scene.

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