Nimitz HS honors injured athlete

Irving Nimitiz High School played a home game against Weatherford on Friday night, but it wasn’t your average high school game.

The team played in support of a fellow football player, Demorious Ducking, who was injured in a robbery and shooting.

Last Saturday, Irving police say 45-year-old Maurice Crawford was sitting in his car in the driveway outside Ducking's house on Meadow Lark Lane, smoking a cigarette.

That’s when two teens -- a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old -- walked up to rob him.

The arrest affidavit says a physical altercation led to the 17-year-old, Miguel Martinez, shooting Crawford. Crawford died.

Ducking, whose mom was dating Crawford, heard the shot, went outside and ended up getting shot in the face.

The bullet barely missed his brain.

The Nimitz football player was still conscious when help got there and was able to name the attackers.

After treatment at Parkland Hospital, friends say Ducking is talking, undergoing physical therapy and expected to make a full recovery.

"Everybody started tweeting about him; ‘Pray for Demo, pray for Demo,’” said classmate Destiny Warren. “Everybody in the school. We’re doing fundraisers for him to help pay the bills."

The school's principal told FOX 4 that Ducking was released from the hospital Friday.

There was hope he may show up at Friday’s game, but the family's focus now turns to burying Crawford.

His funeral service is scheduled for Saturday morning in Mississippi.