Corey Ballentine photo Washburn Athletics
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — New York Giants cornerback Corey Ballentine has testified at a preliminary hearing about the fatal shooting of his best friend and former Washburn University teammate.
Ballentine testified Monday, a day after making his NFL debut. He was wounded April 27 in Topeka in the shooting that killed 23-year-old Dwane Simmons, just hours after the Giants drafted Ballentine. Ballentine testified in a preliminary hearing for 18-year-old Alejandro Mendez, of Topeka, who is charged with first-degree murder and 11 other counts.
He recounted how he, Simmons and others were standing outside a house when a car stopped nearby and began firing at the group. Simmons, a defensive back who would have been a senior this fall, was killed. Ballentine was shot in the buttocks. After the hearing, Mendez was bound over for trial.