Molly Lillard, daughter of former New York Jets wide receiver Al Toon was shot and killed in Scottdale, Arizona Sunday, April 11, 2021. Lillard was a former Middleton High School and University of Michigan volleyball star.
She was found in front of her house with a gunshot wound and transported to the local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her husband, Royce Lillard III, was a suspect in the shooting after he barricaded himself in the house.
A Swat team entered the residence finding Lillard dead from shooting himself. They also found their 8-month-old child alive in the house. The Lillard’s were married for two years, according to the Middleton Times-Tribune.
Lillard, 28, graduated from Middleton High School in 2010. Leading the school’s volleyball team to state tournaments twice before playing for the University of Michigan. She was a letterman all four years for the Wolverines and, in her senior year in 2013, earned all-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Her family, Al and Jane Toon, and their 4 siblings are well known in Madison. Not only was Lillard and her father very athletic, but her brother Nick Toon had a short NFL career as a receiver with the New Orleans Saints. Her sisters Kirby and Sydney Toon both played volleyball for Wisconsin and UW-Whitewater, respectively
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Written by Omari Jahi
Sources:
Yahoo!Sports: Molly Lillard, Michigan Wolverines volleyball standout and daughter of former NFL WR Al Toon, found dead in apparent murder-suicide; By JR Radcliffe
New York Post: Molly Lillard, daughter of Jets great Al Toon, dead in apparent murder-suicide; By Kenneth Garger
Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: A member of a decorated Madison sports family was found shot to death in Arizona in apparent murder-suicide; By JR Radcliffe
People: Ex-College Volleyball Star Whose Dad Was NFL All-Pro Al Toon Is Killed by Husband in Murder-Suicide; Chris Harris
Featured Image by Derek Bridges Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Inventorchris’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
