New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and a handful of teammates were at a Manhattan nightclub early Tuesday morning when a gunman opened fire, killing one man and injuring two others.
Cruz and his teammates, who were among a number of NBA players and non-sports celebrities at the club, were not injured and not involved in the shooting, which occurred shortly before 2:30 a.m. ET at the Juliet Supper Club on West 21st Street.
"There is nothing to indicate that any of the well-known individuals in the club that night had anything to do with the shooting," New York Police Department chief spokesman Paul J. Browne told the New York Times.
Cruz was celebrating his birthday with teammates Hakeem Nicks, Aaron Ross, Antrel Rolle and Chris Canty, according to The Times and New York Daily News.
However, Nicks' agent, Peter Schaffer, told The Times and Daily News that Nicks was not at the club. Schaffer told The Times that Nicks was at home with his daughter.
Even though the Giants on hand were not involved or injured, the incident conjures up bad memories from 2008, when Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh at the Latin Quarter club in midtown. Burress was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2009 after pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.
Cruz told The Bergen (N.J.) Record Tuesday that he and his group were not in the vicinity of the shooting, and he did not see the victims.
"I don't remember how many [gunshots I heard], to be honest with you," Cruz said, according to The Record. "There were enough."
"There was a melee that was going on. So we kind of just waited. We sat under the table and waited for the melee to calm down before we left. Then we got out of there as soon as we could. We didn't know if we were going to get caught in a stampede."
According to reports, Arthur Artis, of Brooklyn, was shot in the chest and back and was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. A second man, Tracy Ryals, was shot in the arm and buttocks and is in stable condition at Bellevue, and a third victim, Jonai Washington, was shot in the leg and was treated at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, the Daily News reported.
Other pro athletes at the nightclub included NBA players John Wall, Carlos Boozer, Kemba Walker, Russell Westbrook, Chris Duhon and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Branden Albert, according to The Times.
Cruz would not say whom he was with at the nightclub, or whether they were teammates. He told The Record that it was merely a night out to celebrate with friends, and not an organized party.
Tuesday is a routine off day for the Giants, who return to practice on Wednesday.
"I just basically want out there that I feel sorry for the victims, and I hope their families are well," Cruz told The Record. "It was an unfortunate situation that happened. That's pretty much all I want to say."
"Obviously, initially you're scared," he added. "Obviously things like that happen. You don't want them to."
