Colorado & Denver News

AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton in Denver contributed to this report.
DENVER (AP) ― It was supposed to be a day of checking in equipment and meeting with coaches for performance evaluations.

Instead, the Denver Broncos players showed up to their training facility to lean on each other Tuesday as the team grieved for cornerback Darrent Williams, who was killed in a drive-by shooting early Monday -- hours after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was on the verge of tears as he talked about Williams.

"He's a good man and he's up in heaven right now," Shanahan said.

Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said the police were pursuing tips but had not identified any suspects and were unsure of the nature of the taunts that they believe sparked an altercation at a night club before the shooting that also wounded two other people.

"It's a situation where anyone who knows what happened or has any information, we'd love to hear," Jackson said.

Police were searching for a white Suburban or Tahoe with dark-tinted windows.

Williams sustained a single gunshot wound to the neck, according to Robert Whitmore, chief medical examiner in the county coroner's office.

The Broncos planned to hold a private memorial Wednesday at team headquarters so that Williams' teammates can tell his family what he meant to them. The Broncos will also fly together to Fort Worth, Texas, for Williams' funeral on Saturday.

"I don't think he had a guy that wasn't his best friend," Shanahan said. "He always had a smile on his face. You never know why God takes somebody, but I know He got somebody pretty special with Darrent."

It wasn't a day to talk about football at Dove Valley.

"Today wasn't about football or the offseason or the future," safety Nick Ferguson said. "Today was to grieve and remember the good things about him."

Receiver Javon Walker was with Williams in the limousine when he was killed and was one of several players who met with professional counselors the team brought in.

"He just went through a tragic experience," Shanahan said. "A lot of times when somebody has that happen to them, they wonder why it (wasn't them). That's just human nature and obviously the counselors are talking with him about that. It's a process. It takes some time."

Shanahan didn't need much time -- just one conversation -- to realize Williams was worth drafting in the second round in 2005.

"There were some question marks about Darrent," Shanahan said. "So I brought him in here and asked him about some of those questions, and I felt so good about him when he left I said, 'Hey, I am just hoping he is here with our first pick in the second round because he is a first-round guy.' ... I just hope that we get lucky, and we did get lucky."

And while the Oklahoma State product was drafted primarily to return punts, he earned the starting cornerback position opposite Champ Bailey in his rookie season.

"The players knew right away way that we had a football player," Shanahan said. "He impressed our veterans as much as he did the coaches, especially the coaches that had some reservations early."

Although only 5-foot-8, Williams was full of confidence. He had 88 tackles and four interceptions in 2006.

"He said, 'Coach, you can count on me for making a play because I want to get it done,"' Shanahan said. "Just a class young man that I care an awful lot for, and it's tough."

A steady stream of fans built a makeshift memorial of flowers, photos, teddy bears and footballs outside team headquarters, one of three such displays around the city. There were also memorials at the scene of the shooting and at Invesco Field.

Rudy Leyva of Laredo, Texas, was given a trip to the Broncos' season finale against San Francisco as a Christmas present from his girlfriend, Jessica Cerda. While at the game he caught a giveaway T-shirt in the stands and had Williams to sign it following the Broncos' loss.

Leyva put flowers around the memorial and left his orange rosary beads hanging from a snow-covered Christmas wreath.

"I cried at the loss and then cried when I found out he died," Leyva said. "It was just devastating."

The club had advertised a New Year's Eve event celebrating the birthday of Denver Nuggets star Kenyon Martin. The Nuggets canceled practice Monday and Martin declined to comment Tuesday.

"I really feel for the Broncos and their organization," said Nuggets center Marcus Camby, who didn't attend the party. "Knowing Darrent personally, I really feel for his kids. He was a good friend."

Williams had a 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter who live in Fort Worth. A memorial fund was set up in their honor.

A viewing was scheduled Friday evening at the Great Commission Baptist Church in Fort Worth, with the funeral scheduled for Saturday at the same church, Williams' agent Jeff Griffin said.

"He's in a better place right now," Shanahan said.

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