CHICAGO — Ronnie Fields was in shock that his friend and former Farragut teammate Michael Wright had been found dead in Brooklyn.
"He had made it from the same difficult situation a lot of us come from in tough environments," Fields told DNAinfo Chicago Wednesday. "To achieve what he achieved, there's not a lot of people who come where we come from that can say that."
The death is now being treated as a murder, police sources told DNAinfo New York Wednesday.
Wright, 35, was found inside his Lexus SUV in Brooklyn at roughly 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The car had been there since last Sunday, police sources said.
Police initially believed Wright had committed suicide because a plastic bag was found partially covering his head, sources said.
But detectives have determined that he had a severe head wound that likely came from a blow to his head, sources said. Detectives are also investigating whether he was killed by someone he met on the gay dating app Grindr, which was open in his phone.
“We are treating the death as a homicide pending a determination of the medical examiner,” a police source told DNAinfo New York.
Michael Wright, KG and Ronnie Fields. Still feel lucky to have seen Farragut play in person back in the day pic.twitter.com/EtvgFpsEPp
— Kevin Kaduk (@KevinKaduk) November 11, 2015"I can't even believe it," Fields said. "I just feel empty right now about the situation that happened to him. This is a real sick time for me."
As a freshman, Wright played with Fields and Kevin Garnett on the same legendary Farragut squad. Garnett would go on to a superstar NBA career, while a car accident derailed Fields' career and he never reached the NBA. Wright was a standout at Arizona before he was drafted by the Knicks in 2001. He played on several overseas teams, including clubs in France, Israel and Poland.
Wright grew up on the Near West Side near Ashland and Roosevelt, Fields said. Fields, who grew up on the West Side and now lives in Westmont, was two years ahead of Wright. He said Wright regularly visited him after the car accident.
"He was always there for me," Fields said. "It was great watching him have a career. I lost a teammate, a good friend, a young man who achieved goals. For me, it's sad what's going on in this world, in this country and in Chicago."
Wright, who lived in New Jersey, had friends in Brooklyn, sources told DNAinfo New York.
Investigators were trying to speak with them as well as tracking his final movements and cellphone calls, sources said.
A tragic day- we lost a great man, teammate, and son -Michael Wright will be missed by many - still can't believe it- May God help us all.
— Ronnie Fields (@RonnieFields23) November 11, 2015If you from the Chi u know what I'm taking about... #Rip #michaelWright
— cappie pondexter (@cappa23) November 11, 2015For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
