Slain Oklahoma City athlete was full of energy
CRIMEAFTER SHOOTING AT CITY NIGHTCLUB, SECURITY VIDEO OFFERS FEW CLUES IN DEATH OF TEEN

BY MICHAEL KIMBALL

Published: November 18, 2008

Timothy Mooreland’s football coach said the 16-year-old was always smiling and often dancing in the locker room.

"Tim had a bright future,” Centennial High School football coach Randy Wilson said. "He was a good student and involved in leadership roles. He had all the qualities you want to see in young people. It’s a shame his life was taken in a cowardly way.”

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The teen died early Sunday after being shot at City Nights nightclub, 5810 S Western Ave., police said. Police had no suspects.

About 1:55 a.m. Sunday, a shot was fired as several fights were taking place inside and outside the club, Oklahoma City police Sgt. Paco Balderrama said. Police responding to the fights saw people giving CPR to Mooreland, who had been taken outside the club by security after he collapsed onto some chairs. Mooreland died later at a city hospital.

Police are viewing security video, but Balderrama said it’s hard to tell what happened. He said it’s possible Mooreland was a bystander and the shot was not meant for him.

Mooreland used a friend’s ID to get into the club, which requires patrons to be at least 18 to enter, Balderrama said.

In November 2006, three people, ages 19, 18 and 16, were shot in the club’s parking lot. All three survived.

A message left by The Oklahoman for City Nights managers on the nightclub’s voicemail was not returned. No one answered the door there on Sunday afternoon.

It was also the second death of a youth shot at an Oklahoma City nightclub this year. Feb. 9, Kascey McClellan, 19, was shot outside Club Zax, 3015 Classen Blvd. No one has been arrested in connection with that death.

"Typically, we see very few good things happen after hours, after 11 o’clock, at places like this,” Balderrama said. "So that is a question that any young person should ask themselves, whether it’s even worth it to go out to some of these places.”

A city ordinance passed in September holds club, restaurant and bar owners responsible for allowing disorderly or violent activity on their property if convicted of three violations within a year. Balderrama said police have not had any problems with City Nights’ current operators, who are cooperating with the investigation.

Mooreland was a junior at Centennial, in his first year there after transferring from Millwood High School, Wilson said. He started on offense, defense and special teams.

Wilson said he’ll remember Mooreland for locker room dance-offs and for his energy.

"He was a caring person, just full of energy and always trying to have fun,” Wilson said.