MVSU football player killed, driver injured in crash after police chase

JACKSON, Miss. – A Mississippi Valley State University football player who was a passenger in a car involved in a police chase was killed in a crash that injured the driver, authorities said.

Ryan Quinney, 20, of Mobile, Alabama, was killed Friday when the car he was in fled from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said Monday.

The chase began in Flora and continued to Yazoo City, where the driver lost control of the car, WAPT-TV reported. Shivers told the television station that the car left the road, went through a ditch and hit a parked vehicle before becoming airborne. It then ripped out a light pole and rolled over several times before coming to rest in a yard, he said.

Authorities used a Jaws of Life tool to rescue the driver, whose name was not released. The driver was flown to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Her condition was not immediately available.

Quinney, a junior linebacker, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the school expressed its condolences to the player's family and friends.

“Ryan was a bright light in our community with a spirit that encouraged everyone around him. He will be sadly missed by his friends, his teachers and all who knew him,” the university said. “We extend our deepest condolences to Ryan’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The Mississippi Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to an email or phone call Monday seeking details about what sparked the chase.

Yazoo City is about 50 miles north of Jackson.