ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Students at Edgewater High School in Orlando are reeling over the loss of a high school football player, after deputies say he was shot during an attempted home break-in.
"It's been a difficult day for everyone at Edgewater High, as they deal with the death of varsity football player Gerald Anderson," says Tom Couparte, his Athletic Trainer. "It's hard on a lot of the students right now. As they are going through a lot. And they're trying to comprehend what had happened."
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office say 18-year-olds Anderson and Luismil Hernandez broke into a home in the Valencia Hills subdivision last week. They say the homeowner shot in self-defense as a gunfight occurred, killing Anderson.
"He was for a lot of people two different people and for me I only knew one side of him and he was a great kid," Couparte adds.
That's how student Zarkari Gibson remembers him too.
"He focused more on his work than anything else, and honestly, I'm just distraught that he passed away like that," he says.
They say this isn't the person they knew.
"He had so much more than just that, to live for," Gibson says.
Couparte agrees, saying, "A lot of us are surprised. A lot of us thought that Gerald was on the up and up and he was doing real good for himself. He was going to go to college and he was playing great football."
As he deals with the loss of one of his players, he shares an important lesson in life.
"For the kids, a lot of it is understanding that every choice you make has an influence on you, yourself and someone else and they need to take that into their lives and hopefully make the right decisions."