Jasper Howard, 20, a starting cornerback at the University of Connecticut was stabbed to death after a school dance. Howard, along with one other male were rushed to Windham Community Memorial Hospital early Sunday morning after being stabbed when an altercation broke out.

The other male, who has not yet been identified, was treated and released while Howard had to be airlifted to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford where he died from his injuries.

Howard and other UConn students were attending a school sanctioned “Welcome Back” party at the Student Union when the fire alarm was pulled.
Around 300 students were forced to evacuate the location and authorities believe that a fight started between students and non-students.

The fight commenced just after the evacuation and Howard was stabbed around 12:30am. Police do not know if there was any connection to the fire alarm and the fight.

Before the dance, the Huskies had played in their homecoming game where they took home a victory over Louisville.

No arrests have been made but the police have been interviewing witnesses and will continue the investigation through this week. Originally from Miami, Howard was the first person from his family to go to college.

Friends and family were shocked and stunned to hear the news of his death. Coach Randy Edsall said Howard’s death is especially tragic because he was an expectant father. The police or the university has not released additional information about the expectant mother who Edsall identified as Howard’s girlfriend.

Members of the staff and the coaches talked of Howard as a good person and great player. He had come a long way from the neighborhood that he grew up in.

In the game that night, Howard had a career-high 11 tackles and made a great play in the game when he forced a fumble after stripping the ball from a Louisville player.

Our Take

Our condolences go out to the family of Jasper Howard. This is a tragedy that people will remember for years to come. Students on this campus should take precaution especially since the killer has not been arrested yet. We have seen incidents like this across the country where students are bringing weapons to school. In each case, it is shocking and astounding that someone would do something like that.