Former Philadelphia high school basketball star Rysheed Jordan, who played for St. John's and the Delaware 87ers, has been arrested and charged with illegal possession of a handgun. He is also expected to be charged with multiple offenses, including attempted murder and robbery, stemming from another encounter days earlier.
Both incidents, per information provided to NBC10 by Philadelphia police, occurred in North Philadelphia within the last week.
Most recently, at 2:03 a.m. Wednesday, Temple police tracked a green Jaguar that had run a red light. After the vehicle tried to evade police, Jordan got out and fled. He was pursued by officers on foot and threw away his gun before being captured and placed into custody. Recovered by police, the gun had five live rounds and an obliterated serial number.
Last Friday, Jordan and two other suspects met three other men in order to faciliate the sale of a cell phone. However, Jordan and his two companions attempted to rob the men, who ran, and Jordan allegedly shot one in the arm. He is awaiting charges for this incident. The meeting was arranged on Facebook.
Jordan, who turns 22 on June 10, played two seasons at St. John's after attending Roberts Vaux High School. He considered entering the NBA draft last year but missed the deadline and was unable to return to the Red Storm because he was academically ineligible. He elected not to return to school and was drafted by the Sixers' D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, but was released after playing 11 games.