NYC football star fatally stabbed hours after graduation

A high school football star was fatally stabbed in a fight with parking attendants over whether something was stolen from his family's car during his graduation ceremony, police said.

His father was charged Wednesday with assault for his role in the argument, authorities said.

Isayah Muller, 19, a star running back who led his team to the Public Schools Athletic League championship, was rushed to a clinic Tuesday by his family and girlfriend and was later pronounced dead, said Paul Browne, the New York Police Department's chief spokesman.

He was headed to Nassau Community College in Garden City, Long Island, in the fall, according to his Facebook page, which portrayed him as a fun-loving but hardworking sports fan. Friends and family posted how proud they were that he was planning to go to college.

The family arrived at the parking lot in the Bronx at about 9 a.m. Tuesday and walked over to the campus of Lehman College, where graduation was being held for students from Harry S. Truman High School. Following the ceremony, the family picked up their car and headed to a celebratory meal on City Island, a fishing hamlet on the northeastern tip of the Bronx.

On the way, the father noticed something was missing from the vehicle, turned the car around and headed back to the parking lot, Browne said.

When he arrived, he started arguing with two lot attendants, and hitting one with a shovel, police said. When Isayah Muller came out to help his dad, he was stabbed in the chest, police said.

The father and son raced back to the family car, where his mother and girlfriend were waiting and drove him to a clinic. The teen was later taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m., Browne said.

The father, Andre Muller, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and assault, and was awaiting arraignment in the Bronx. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

Authorities questioned the two parking attendants as the investigation continued. It wasn't clear if they would face charges.

John-James Shepherd, Isayah Muller's high school football coach, said the teen "really personified the word charismatic."

"He would walk into a room and light it up. It's a cliche, but it's true in this case," Shepherd said.

Shepherd, who started coaching in 1999, said Muller was the best running back he'd ever seen at the high school level. Muller was headed for Nassau County Community College because his grades were not especially high, but the coach said he was sure Muller would have ended up in college's Division I — a possibly the NFL — eventually.

Muller rushed for 285 yards during the high school championship game in November, winning 23-20 over the top-seeded Beach Channel. Quarterback Xavier Hamilton said Muller was the team's go-to guy.

"To him, there's no such thing as pressure," Hamilton told ESPN's high school report. "You put the ball his hands and it's like he's in a zone. You look in his eyes and there's no reflection. He just gets the ball and does what he has to do."

Muller ran the last five plays of the November game. According to ESPN, "He not only carried the ball, but also his entire team."

"I really wasn't tired," Muller told ESPN. "This is my last game of my high school career. I didn't want to take one step off that field. I'm still not tired. I could play the whole game all over again."