Oakland Athletics minor-league pitcher Mike Nolan is in “extremely critical” condition after being shot in the head in a Burger King parking lot in the New York suburb of Yonkers.
Nolan, 23, was shot at about 12.30am on Friday, police said. The suspect drove up on a service road and fired five or six shots at Nolan, who was standing next to his car, before driving off. There was no return fire.
Nolan was hit in the head and the torso, and was taken to a Bronx hospital. Police said they believe Nolan to be an innocent victim, but that he and the shooter may have been involved in an earlier dispute. Yonkers police chief of detectives Timothy Hodges called the incident a “senseless tragedy.”
Anthony DiLorenzo, a reporter with New York’s CW affiliate WPIX, reported Friday that the shooting stemmed from a dispute over drag racing.
“At this point, we believe he was an innocent victim,” Hodges said. “He’s been a friend of the city of Yonkers and a person of high regard.”
Nolan, who was drafted in 18th round by the A’s in the 2014 amateur draft, was playing for the Arizona League Athletics, Oakland’s rookie-league team in Phoenix. It was a gratifying payoff for the left-hander, who played for three different colleges and underwent Tommy John surgery in November 2010.
He was placed on the restricted list for players not currently competing in July 2014 after informing the club he was retiring.
At the family’s home, Michael Maher, Nolan’s grandfather, told the Journal News: “We’re just waiting. They told us there is nothing we can do but wait.”
He said his grandson was breathing on his own.
Nolan, who is 6ft 7in, played for Oklahoma City University before he was drafted by the A’s.
- This article was amended on 22 September 2015 to reflect the fact that Mike Nolan was placed on the restricted list after informing the Oakland A’s he was retiring.
