Texans’ Tank Dell describes shooting as “wrong place at wrong time”

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell described the circumstances under which he was shot in the leg in a Florida bar in late April as “wrong place, wrong time” in an interview on quarterback CJ Stroud’s podcast “Million Dollaz Worth of Game.”

“First of all, I’m blessed,” Dell said on the podcast, via Yahoo! “For me, it was just the wrong place at the wrong time. I went back to see my mom. I wasn’t even planning on going back and going to the little pool party or anything, but my boys found out I was home, so they called me.

“They said, ‘Come to the party.’ They told me there would be security, people would be checked at the door and stuff like that, so I was like, all right, cool. It’s a good vibe and there were a lot of people there that I knew, so it was cool. Then this (swear word) just came out of nowhere. It just went downhill out of nowhere.”

A 16-year-old was arrested in connection with Sunday’s shooting and booked into a juvenile detention center. He was charged with attempted murder, discharging a weapon on public property, use/display of a firearm during a crime and possession of a firearm by a minor.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said the incident began with a verbal argument that escalated and led to the shooting. A security guard at Cabana Live was able to successfully arrest the 16-year-old shooter. According to police, none of the 10 people taken to the hospital suffered life-threatening injuries.

“I thought I had removed myself from the situation, like you see on the video when I ran over,” Dell said. “But I put myself between two people. It just got crazy.”

Stroud went on to say that he viewed the shooting as a learning experience for himself.

“It was a good moment for me to realize that I can’t go home and do the same things I did before,” Stroud said. “Because sometimes I just feel comfortable at home – going to pool parties, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, house parties.

“These are the people I grew up with. I haven’t changed. Just because I got a little money. The fact that this moment happened so quickly was an eye-opening experience.”

Dell, 24, was selected in the third round of the 2023 draft by Houston. He recorded 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games last season and was a go-to player for Stroud in many of the team’s memorable late-season comebacks.

The Texans placed Dell on the injured list after he suffered a broken fibula during a Dec. 3 game against the Denver Broncos. He has participated in their offseason conditioning program this spring.

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