HEADLINE

Teen arrested in shooting of Giants’ Ballentine

Field Level Media

July 13, 2019 at 4:08 pm.

An 18-year-old Kansas man has been charged in the April shooting that injured New York Giants rookie Corey Ballentine and killed his friend, Dwane Simmons.

Francisco Alejandro Mendez faces seven felony counts, including murder in the first degree, according to the Shawnee County (Kansas) District Attorney’s office. He is being held on $1 million bond.

Simmons and Ballentine, teammates at Washburn University, were shot while walking home from a party in Topeka on April 28, just hours after the Giants selected Ballentine in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

Simmons, 23, did not survive. Ballentine was shot in the backside and spent several days in the hospital.

Ballentine, also 23, began practicing with the Giants in late May and is expected to make a full recovery.

Police made the arrest after connecting the shooting to two aggravated robberies that occurred in the area on April 27 and 30, ESPN reported.