With inputs from the Associated Press

A former University of Miami football player was arrested on Thursday in connection with the 2006 fatal shooting of his teammate Bryan Pata, according to US media reports.

Rashaun Jones, 35, of Lake City, was detained in Marion County, located about 70 miles (110 kilometres) northwest of Orlando, by Miami-Dade police and the US Marshals Service on a first-degree murder warrant, according to police spokeswoman Alvaro Zabaleta, according to the Associated Press reports.

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“The Pata family has waited a long time to see the individual they had believed involved in Brian’s death arrested and charged,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement, according to AP reports. “While the time needed to build sufficient evidence to ethically charge in a homicide can sometimes feel endless, families should know that the passion and determination of police and prosecutors to resolve unsolved cases does not diminish.”

Following his fourth and last season with the Miami Hurricanes, Pata was anticipated to be a first-round choice in the 2007 NFL Draft.

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On the night of November 7, 2006, the 22-year-old, 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman was shot multiple times outside of his Kendall apartment. Pata was driving his black Infiniti back from university. Witnesses stated they heard fighting followed by gunfire.

Despite the fact that he had a large sum of money in his pocket, neither the car nor the money was stolen.

Investigators said they found from many interviews that Pata and Jones, who played three seasons for the Hurricanes, had had prior incidents. Pata had previously beaten his teammate in a physical confrontation, according to authorities. 

Jones had threatened to shoot Pata two months before his murder, according to Pata’s brother. Despite his brother’s pleas, Pata never reported the threat.

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Jones told officers, during two separate interviews with detectives, that he was at home on the night of Pata’s death and never left. According to authorities, Jones’ smartphone, though, was utilising various cell towers around the time of the incident.

And an eyewitness in the area at the time of the shooting identified Jones in a photo lineup, police said.

Jones was being held in Marion County, awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who could comment.