Foul play not suspected in death of Wingate student hit by train, police say

No foul play is suspected in the death of a freshman basketball player at Wingate University who was struck by a freight train, police said Thursday.

Kyle Honore, 19, died after being hit by a train at a railroad crossing on North Camden Street near the entrance of the Union County school Tuesday night, officials said. Wingate University is located about 30 miles southeast of Charlotte.

Police are still investigating the incident.

“We want to remind Wingate University Students and the general public to be safe and always use the railway’s designated crossings,” Wingate Police Chief Craig Bradshaw said in a statement. “Not only is being on the railroad property anywhere other than a designated crossing dangerous, it’s also illegal trespassing.”

Honore had just moved to campus on Sunday, the school said in an email to The Charlotte Observer. He played basketball for his father, Keith, at Potomac High School in Dumfries, Virginia. Honore was a standout player and was featured in a Washington Post article about his father.

“Kyle was a big personality who could light up the room and make friends quickly,” associate basketball coach Marcus Kirkland said in a statement. “Kyle was a great addition to our team and showed great promise coming out of high school as a four-year varsity player and three-year starter as a point guard. His presence will be missed by a lot of people.”

A prayer vigil was held Thursday at the Old Wellspring on the Wingate campus.

A GoFundMe page has been to help the family with funeral expenses. As of Friday, it had raised over $13,000 towards its $30,000 goal.