Former B-CU, Paxon football player Alfred Adams found dead in SUV

Found shot in parking lot in Daytona Beach; autopsy pending

Former Paxon running back Alfred Adams, carrying the ball in a 2013 game, was found dead on Tuesday night in Daytona Beach.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Alfred Adams, a former Bethune-Cookman University and Paxon football player, was found dead from a gunshot wound in Daytona Beach on Tuesday night. 

Adams, who had graduated from B-CU, was 23. 

Recommended Videos



“We are heartbroken tonight. We are praying continuously for his family,” said B-CU football coach Terry Sims said in a statement. “It is difficult to put into words what huge impact Alfred has had on our program. 

“I, along with all other Wildcats, have always respected the way he uplifted his teammates and fellow students. Alfred was goal-driven to make his dreams come to a reality and was a light on our team for so many years. We offer our love, prayer, and unwavering support for his family.”

According to the Daytona Beach Police Department, a woman walking through the parking lot to the Ashley Furniture store saw an individual slumped over in the driver’s seat.in the SUV She called police, who discovered Adams in the vehicle. 

The police report said that a handgun and a shell casing were found inside the vehicle, as well as a bullet hole in the driver’s side window. The report said that the shot was fired from inside the vehicle.

The Daytona Beach Police Department was doing "additional investigation into other areas before the official cause of death is determined," it said in an email. Toxicology reports from the medical examiner will take four to six weeks.

Paxon’s Steve Brown, who coached Adams during his senior season in 2013, said that his demeanor was something that he’s never forgotten. And he was solid on the football field, too. 

“He was really a track kid playing football,” Brown said. “We put him in the wingback position and he was our best running back that first year.”

Adams, he said, had the ability to lighten the mood instantly. Brown said he recalls Adams’ ability to belt out high-pitched shrieks during practice that made players and coaches go from serious to laughing. 

“He was that happy-go-lucky kid, always smiling, always in a good mood, he never seemed to have a bad day,” Brown said. “I don’t know if he ever had a bad day. He’s one of those people who just doesn’t have bad days. If you were having a bad day, he’s the kid who you’d want to run across. He was the person who could change your outlook.”

Adams was a well-rounded person, said friend, Denzell Manning, helping out with football and even schoolwork.  

"During my last semester there [at B-CU]  I ended up getting a 4.0," Mannnig said. "And Alfred helped me with a lot of my assignments, my papers and my math — he was helping me with a lot of it."

Adams was a three-time selection on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, his last coming in December. He played sparingly with the Wildcats during his career there, but rushed for a career-best 41 yards and a touchdown in a 45-9 loss to Nebraska last year. 

It has been a challenging two months for Bethune-Cookman. 

Former football player Glen Chapman, a four-year starter at B-CU, who was coaching at Edward Waters, died in late March. Another former player, Vidal Mills, 46, died last week. 

This is a developing story and will be updated
 


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.