N.O. Pelicans Player Bryce Dejean-Jones Meant To Enter The Home Of His Baby's Mom When He Was Shot & Killed Breaking Into Wrong Apartment

DALLAS (AP) — New Orleans Pelicans rookie Bryce Dejean-Jones was fatally shot after breaking down the door to a Dallas apartment, authorities said Saturday. Officers were called early Saturday and found the 23-year-old player collapsed in an outdoor passageway, Senior Cpl. DeMarquis Black said in a statement. Dejean-Jones was taken to a hospital where he died.

According to an email that the apartment complex sent to its residents Saturday morning, the individual was "believed to be breaking into the apartment of an estranged acquaintance [but] inadvertently broke into the wrong apartment."

Dejean-Jones was visiting his girlfriend in Dallas for his daughter's first birthday, which was Saturday, according to Nichols. He said the girlfriend returned to the apartment first while Dejean-Jones went for a walk after they had gone out.

"He went to the wrong apartment unfortunately and I think he thought his girlfriend locked him out, so he was knocking on the door, banging on the door, it's locked,'' Nichols told the Associated Press. "So one thing led to another.''

Sources told ESPN that Dejean-Jones was involved in an argument with the child's mother before the shooting.

According to a report from the NBA's senior vice president and chief security officer that was sent to teams and obtained by ESPN, no charges have been filed against the apartment resident. Under Texas law, a person is allowed to use deadly force to defend themselves in their home. It also says a person using force cannot provoke the attacker or be involved in criminal activity at the time.

The NBA report obtained by ESPN also noted that a toxicology report is "a couple weeks" away, but it is "unknown at this time if a substance played a part in the incident." An update from the Dallas PD is expected Tuesday.

In his only NBA season, which ended in February because of a broken right wrist, the 6-foot-6 guard started 11 of 14 games and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds.

He was part of the 2014-15 Iowa State team that went 25-9, captured a Big 12 title and made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. He was fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points in 33 games. He shot a career-best 47.6 percent in his lone season as a Cyclone. He also played at Southern California and UNLV.