Former Oklahoma Punter Michael Winchester Dies After Being Shot at Airport

Former Oklahoma Sooners punter Michael Winchester was killed on Nov. 15 after being shot at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City. He was the father of Kansas City Chiefs long snapper James Winchester.

The Oklahoma City Police Department identified Winchester as the deceased victim of the shooting. Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star confirmed Winchester is the father of the 27-year-old Chiefs player.

The Chiefs released a statement on behalf of the Winchester family on Tuesday:

The team also expressed its condolences on Twitter on Nov. 15:

Per Corky Siemaszko of NBC News, Oklahoma City police Capt. Paco Balderrrama said the airport was shut down after receiving a call around 1 p.m. local time due to "shots fired in the parking lot area of the airport."

Winchester was an employee at Southwest Airlines. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma, serving as the team's punter from 1984 to 1986, appearing in 36 games over that span.       

His son, James, also played college football at Oklahoma. He made it to the NFL as an undrafted free agent when the Philadelphia Eagles signed him in 2013. He made his first regular-season appearance on Sept. 13, 2015, with the Chiefs and has played in 25 straight games since.