A college baseball administrator was shot and killed on Thursday outside a house he sold to a real estate company, according to the New York Post. Ladell Thornton, 43, is suspected of killing Christopher Gradoville at home in Omaha, Nebraska. Gradoville was 37 years old. It was reported that Thornton was renting the house at the time.
Gradoville was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds outside the house Thursday morning after arriving there to make repairs. The cause of the shooting is unclear, but Thornton has a long criminal history and was taken into custody after the scene and then arrested on suspicion of first degree murder and using a weapon to commit a felony.
Omaha Athletics mourns the death of Creighton Director of Baseball Operations Chris Gradoville.
We offer our deepest condolences to the Gradoville family and the Creighton community. pic.twitter.com/5g8OsAvlk7
– Omaha Baseball (@OmahaBSB) 1er octobre 2021
Gradoville was a baseball administrator for Creighton University. He also played baseball for the school from 2004 to 2007. “The community of Creighton is absolutely devastated by the death of Chris Gradoville,” Creighton University said in a statement. “Chris represented the best of what it meant to be a Bluejay. He was a former student, an outstanding former baseball player and the volunteer director of baseball operations.
“But more importantly, Chris was an amazing human being, admired by everyone around him, including our coaches, staff and players. We offer our prayers and our deepest condolences to Chris Nikki’s wife and the entire Gradoville family during this extremely difficult time. ”
Gradoville, who played wide receiver at Creighton, joined the staff in the fall of last year. After playing for Creighton, Gradoville was selected in the 24th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. He spent four seasons with the Rangers, playing in two MLB exhibition games at Arlington Stadium. He then worked in the field of sports performance, specializing in the treatment of sports injuries. Gradoville was the owner of Tactical Training Coution LLC, which is an initiative that trains first responders in fitness and health, according to the official Creighton Baseball website.
“Having Chris as a member of our team over the past 18 months has been great because he was a great man and a great teammate,” said Creighton baseball head coach Servais. “Whether you are a player, a teammate or another staff member who needed a helping hand, Chris was one of the first guys to step forward.” Gradoville is survived by his wife, Nikki, whom he met while playing for a Rangers affiliate in 2007.
