Former NFL player Brandon Short said his oldest daughter, Karli, was killed in "a senseless act of gun violence" earlier this week.
"My heart is broken. I’ve lost the light of my life," Short, 44, wrote on Facebook on Monday, saying his daughter had been shot that morning.
"The love she had was so pure and true," he wrote. "The world lost a beautiful soul. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and please keep our family in your prayers as we struggle through this difficult time."
Karli Short, 26, was killed in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, a city in Allegheny County outside of Pittsburgh, on Monday, according to a report from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office. She was shot in the head just after 10:30 a.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:39.
Her father told NBC affiliate WPXI that she was five months pregnant.
“We just found out it was a little boy, so we lost two,” Short said.
Short, a linebacker, played for Penn State University before playing in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers.
He currently serves on the Penn State Board of Trustees.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Trustee Brandon Short’s daughter, Karli Short, in her passing," board chairman Matthew Schuyler said in a statement. "That her life was cut short too soon as a result of an act of violence is a tragedy for Karli and her family and friends, and a great loss to the members of the McKeesport community."
"My heart is heavy as I think about the traumatic effect this tragic loss of a young person will have on the entire McKeesport community. Our condolences go out to Brandon and the entire Short family," Penn State President Eric J. Barron added.
Karli Short's wake is set for Friday in McKeesport, and her funeral is scheduled for the following day.
