Man charged in shooting of Giants draft pick and teammate

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have charged an 18-year-old man in an April shooting that wounded New York Giants draft pick Corey Ballentine and killed one of his Washburn University teammates.

The Shawnee County district attorney’s office says in a news release that Francisco Alejandro Mendez was charged Friday with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated battery in the April 28 attack.

Authorities say Ballentine and teammate Dwane Simmons were outside of an off-campus party in Topeka hours after the Giants picked Ballentine in the sixth round of the draft when someone opened fire on them from a vehicle. Simmons was killed and Ballentine was shot but has since recovered.

Mendez is being held on a $1 million bond. His case doesn’t appear yet in online court records and his attorney, Victoria Chundak-Gallaway, didn’t immediately reply to a phone message left Saturday at her office.