Lorenzen Wright Died of Gunshot Wound, Ruled Homicide

Filed under: NBA Police BlotterFormer NBA and University of Memphis player Lorenzen Wright died as a result of a gunshot wound and police were drawn to the area where his body was found by a 911 call placed more than a week before it was discovered, the Memphis Police Department said in a statement released on Thursday.

The discovery of the body was part of coordinated -- albeit delayed -- effort by a handful of law enforcement agencies who gathered Wednesday morning, hours before their search uncovered Wright's remains.

"Through identification of dental records, the Shelby County Medical Examiner has officially identified the victim as that of Lorenzen Wright," Police Department lieutenant Alan Ruhl said in the news release. "The cause of death has been ruled as homicide by gunshot wound."

The release was the first in which authorities identified Wright, 34, as the body found in southeast Memphis Wednesday afternoon.

Wright was last seen by his ex-wife shortly before midnight on July 18, and family members filed a missing persons report on July 22. Police reportedly didn't originally suspect foul play until a 911 call taken by Germantown, Tenn., dispatcher during the early morning hours of July 19 -- when several gunshots could be heard -- was linked to Wright's cell phone. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Commentsandysautosport footjoy golf shoes ski helmets