Baltimore Ravens linebacker suffers leg injury from gunshot

Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Malik Harrison suffered a non-life-threatening leg injury after he was shot in the leg by a stray bullet, the Ravens confirmed on Monday.

Harrison was at a gathering in Cleveland on Sunday night while the Ravens were on their bye week, according to reports. There, he suffered a gunshot injury from a bullet not intended for him.

“On Sunday night while attending a gathering in Cleveland, Malik Harrison sustained a non-life-threatening injury after being struck by a stray bullet in the left calf,” the Ravens said in a statement. “Malik, who received medical care at a local hospital, has been in touch with our team doctors and will return to Baltimore today.”

According to a police report, officers heard more than a dozen shots when they arrived on the scene at E. 12 and Rockwell Ave. in Cleveland, Ohio. An off-duty police offer alerted other officer on the scene to the suspects’ vehicle description, and officers eventually caught the driver; four men are facing charges in Harrison’s shooting, including Steven Donnell Coulter Jr. of Zanesville, 30, Darius McDonald of Blacklick, 26, Donnelle Deangelo Dearmond of Columbus, 26, and Lance S. Brown II of Columbus, 28.

Harrison, a third-round pick in 2020, is scheduled to return to Baltimore on Monday, as the Ravens statement said. He started the first five games of the season, but he was taken out of the starting rotation after his play declined; Harrison was replaced by veteran Josh Bynes, so he’s seen less than 20 defensive snaps in the past three games. Harrison has tallied 22 total tackles in 2021 (nine solo stops), and one tackle for a loss.

Last year, as a rookie, Harrison appeared in 14 regular-season games and two playoff games, logging 48 total tackles (26 solo tackles) and two tackles for a loss.

An Ohio native, Harrison had returned to Cleveland, where he grew up. He was a three-star recruit coming out of Walnut Ridge high school, and he decided to stay in Ohio, where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Harrison led Ohio State in tackles as a junior, with 81 total stops, and again as a senior, with 75 total stops, to finish his collegiate career with 205 total tackles. During his senior season in 2019, Harrison had 16.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and four pass breakups; only three Ohio State products — Andy Katzenmoyer (23 in 1996), Ryan Shazier (17 in 2012 and 22.5 in 2013) and Matt Wilhelm (19.5 in 2002) — had more tackles for a loss as a linebacker than Harrison’s 16.5 in 2019. After a successful career at Ohio State, Harrison was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, taken off the board with the 98th overall pick.