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Community Mourns Murdered W&J Football Player, Police Still Investigating

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Washington & Jefferson College football team will play in Kentucky this weekend, minus running back Tim McNerney.

It was an emotional send off for the team, as police continue to investigate who killed their star player.

The W&J campus and surrounding community are still in shock.

A makeshift memorial with flowers and pictures was set up for McNerney at the school's dining hall.

"I mean, today it's kind of hard for me," student Larry Cekella said, "because we always ate lunch every day, so it'll be weird without him here. But I mean, he just brought smiles to everybody he was around and he'll be greatly missed by his friends, his family and everybody here on this campus."

Cekella was with McNerney at a bar the night of his death, but left early.

McNerney and one of his teammates, Zach DeCicco, were beaten by six men while walking back to the campus. DeCicco was able to get away with just a broken nose, but it was him and Cekella who eventually found McNerney's body.

"We knew something bad had happened, because of what Zach had told us," Cekella said.

Football coach Mike Sirianni passed out T-shirts honoring McNerney Friday morning and dozens of students signed up to attend the game.

Meanwhile, Washington Police are working hard to solve the murder.

"My detectives are working, they have been working, around the clock on all leads that they're getting in," Washington Police Chief Bob Lemons said. "Any information they're receiving, they're following up on. Right now we don't have anything new to release."

Washington police are requesting anyone with information come forward.

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