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Update3
Story updated with the name of Waiters' brother, Demetrius Pinckney.
Update2
Quotes via ESPN from Kevin Durant, Sam Presti added at bottom.
Update1
Dion Waiters will not play in tonight's game vs the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dion Waiters will not be with Thunder for game vs Clippers after his brother was killed Tuesday in Philadelphia. https://t.co/7H7pnFrQg7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 9, 2016
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Dion Waiters' younger brother Demetrius Pinckney is reported to have been killed during a violent outbreak in Philadelphia on March 8th. While few details are available at this time, Fox 29 Philadelphia reports:
Six people have been killed during a bloody day on the streets of Philadelphia.
The violence began Tuesday afternoon when police say a man randomly stabbed three people in Southwest Philadelphia around 1:30 p.m. on in the Area of 56tt Street and Baltimore Avenue.
The incident left a 30-year-old man dead and sent two others to the hospital. The suspect was taken into custody, but has not been charged.
A few hours later, investigators say gunfire broke out in North Philadelphia, leaving a 21-year-old man dead and another in critical condition. That shooting occurred on the 2100 block of North Van Pelt Street around 6:30 p.m.
Over the next several hours, police say four more men were killed in four separate shootings in neighborhoods.
[..]
While all of the killings happened in different neighborhoods, and police aren't saying whether any of them are connected.
FOX 29's Steve Keeley reports that one of the deceased was the brother of NBA star and Philadelphia native Dion Waiters.
Waiters addressed the loss of his younger brother Demetrius on his Instagram feed:
Waiters is playing in his first full season in Oklahoma City, and the year has been a difficult one. Apart from the normal on-court challenges, the Thunder have endured the death of assistant coach Monty Williams' wife, Ingrid, due to a car crash, and most recently co-owner Aubrey McClendon died in a single person car crash.
The loss of Pinckney is sadly not Dion's first experience with death. In fact, he has been surrounded by it since birth when his grandmother died mere hours after Dion was born. Tragedy continued throughout his childhood as he lost family members and friends, and the loss of his brother yesterday is, sadly, only the most recent.
The Thunder have always comported themselves as family, both within the locker room as well as in the community. Rookie head coach Billy Donovan, whose own life has been weakened and strengthened through personal loss, is a man who understands how to experience and deliver the support necessary for Waiters and his family to persevere.
Update2
"We feel for Dion, man," Thunder star Kevin Durant said. "He's our brother and it's tough for anyone to go through that, and we have his back on everything. He's got our love and support throughout it all and he knows we're here for him."
Said Thunder general manager Sam Presti: "We were saddened to hear the news of the passing of Dion's brother, and he has our full support. Dion and his family are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
"That's how life throws it at you sometimes," Durant said. "Definitely unfortunate to go through it, but the only thing we can do is continue to stick together as an organization, as a family and help everyone through this. That's what brings everyone together. It's definitely tough for all three families, but they have our support and our love."
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We will update this story as further details emerge.
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