HOUSTON – A crash at a red light killed six people including former Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Hayden in downtown Houston early Saturday.
The two-vehicle crash occurred about 2 a.m. when a Chrysler 300, apparently “going very fast, high velocity," ran the red light and collided with an SUV, Houston Police Assistant Chief Megan Howard said.
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Five men and one woman died, including Hayden, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene. Those killed included the driver of the Chrysler and a man who appeared to be homeless, Howard said.
Four people were taken to the hospital and two of them died, Howard said, while one female passenger was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
Police interviewed a male passenger from the SUV at the hospital. Investigators were working to identify the driver of the SUV, Howard said.
Hayden, 33, was born in Houston and starred at the University of Houston, according to his profile page on ESPN.com. A first-round draft pick in 2013, he played in eight seasons through 2020 for the Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions in 2017, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
“D.J.’s courage, perseverance, and dedication to his teammates will be fondly remembered by everyone who knew him,” the Raiders, now based in Las Vegas, said Saturday in a statement. “The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with D.J.'s loved ones at this time.”
In 2012, Hayden survived and later recovered from a near-death tear to a major vein by his heart after he and a teammate collided during practice, requiring emergency surgery.