Early left CityScapes in Queens with his girlfriend at about 4:30 a.m. in an Uber cab when his vehicle was surrounded by at least two other cars and as many as six men got out, the two officials said. Early handed over two gold chains before he was shot in the right kneecap, officials told the AP.
Law enforcement officials told WABC-TV in New York that the men even asked for the gold caps from Early’s teeth. After the shooting, the men drove off. The Uber driver and girlfriend were uninjured, and the driver was robbed only of his identification.
Early, 24, was hospitalized in stable condition early Wednesday. A spokesperson for Elmhurst Hospital said later Wednesday that Early was released and transferred to another facility.
The two law enforcement officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the victim’s name.
Two league sources with knowledge of the incident confirmed to ESPN that the bullet went through Early and was not lodged in his knee and that there was no major structural damage to his knee. Another source confirmed to ESPN that surgery would not be needed at this point but that they were closely monitoring for any infection.
“Under the circumstances, he is very, very lucky,” one source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
Yahoo! Sports earlier reported an MRI revealed no structural damage and that surgery would not be needed at this time.