Tennessee high school football player dies shielding friends from gunfire

A 15-year-old high school athlete in Tennessee was killed by stray bullets as he shielded three teenage girls from the gunshots, authorities said on Friday.

Zaevion William Dobson, a football player at a Knoxville high school, was killed late on Thursday in what local police said was a random shooting, apparently by gang members.

Law enforcement said Dobson died as he shielded three girls as gunshots rang out on a city block. The girls all survived, authorities said.

One person has been taken into custody in connection with the crime, authorities said.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Michael Perry)