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Former Notre Dame football player declared brain dead after shooting

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Authorities in West Palm Beach say UAB running back Gregory Bryant has been declared brain dead, a day after he was found shot in a car on Interstate 95 in South Florida.

West Palm Beach Police spokeswoman Lori Colombino said Bryant was declared brain dead at 1 p.m. Sunday. Her statement added the investigation into the shooting of 21-year-old recruit of the University of Alabama at Birmingham is now classified as a homicide.

Colombino says detectives are seeking witnesses to the shooting. A passenger in the car was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Bryant started his career at Notre Dame and spent last season attending ASA College, where he played in just one game.

CORRECTS THAT SCHOOL SAYS BRYANT IS ALIVE, AFTER ISSUING STATEMENTS THE HE DIED – FILE – In this Nov. 15, 2014, file photo, Notre Dame running back Greg Bryant (1) runs with the ball against Northwestern during the first half of an NCAA college…

He was the biggest name in UAB’s first recruiting class since the school restarted the football program.

He spent last season living out of a hotel room in Miami with friends while attending classes at ASA College, playing in only one game. Bryant left Notre Dame after one season when he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2015 season.

“Greg worked extremely hard this spring on the field and in the classroom,” Clark said in his initial statement. “He told me his GPA this semester was the highest he has had in his life, and he was very proud.”

Because UAB won’t play again until the 2017 season, Bryant was allowed to enroll in January 2016 instead of possibly having to wait an extra year to get eligible elsewhere.

“Coach Clark, he really did me a favor, because I was living in hotels in Miami,” Bryant told The Associated Press before national signing day in February. “He said I could come in as soon as the semester was over. Any other school I would have had to wait another semester and probably be enrolled by December. I just bought into what coach Clark was saying and I got in with a 2.0” GPA.

He expressed optimism for his future in an April 18 post on his Twitter page: “Accomplished way to (sic) much to stop here. Got so much more to accomplish.”