Central Michigan quarterback John Keller seriously injured in off-campus shooting

The Central Michigan University campus community in Mount Pleasant was rocked by news of an early Saturday morning shooting that left two students injured, including a quarterback on the football team who had been "fighting for his life," according to a social-media post by family and friends.

Among the victims were John Keller, 20, a junior and a quarterback, and Tyler Bunting, 23, a senior student at Central Michigan. The university released their names Sunday.

Keller was shot in the chest and has been listed in serious and critical condition at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, but both students are now said to be recovering, according to authorities.

According to a news release from the Isabella Sheriff's Office, they were dispatched before 1 a.m. Saturday to an apartment complex near the mid-Michigan campus, having received reports of a shooting. A fight had broken out during which someone retrieved a gun from a vehicle, returned and started shooting, police said.

The two students suffered single gunshot wounds, police said, and were airlifted to nearby hospitals.

Bunting was listed in stable condition, according to police.

Authorities said they have received video and other information on the shooting.

No one was in custody Sunday.

“We are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers,” Bob Davies, Central Michigan's president, wrote in a Sunday email to students.

“Please join me in hoping for a speedy recovery for both individuals.”

Davis provided the two students' identities.

Keller sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules. He was a redshirt freshman in 2018 at the University of Cincinnati, but didn't play. He then attended Pearl River (Mississippi) Community College before committing to Central Michigan last year.

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A GoFundMe page was started for Keller's medical expenses. With a goal of $1,000, it had raised more than $15,000 by Sunday afternoon. In the GoFundMe post, friends wrote that Keller is "fighting for his life." They said he had been in critical condition.

"At CMU, we believe respectful, civil discussion and debate are the appropriate solution for solving disagreements," Davies wrote. "Violence of any kind is contrary to our university’s core values and physical confrontations are never the answer.

"We are a community that lifts each other up, especially during challenging times, and we choose respect, compassion and inclusiveness over fear and hatred.

We also believe in accountability."

Central Michigan is asking anybody with information about the shooting to contact the Isabella County Sheriff's department or Central Michigan police, with the option to provide information anonymously.

Associated Press contributed

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984