New York Jets players stunned by shooting that left teammate Kris Boyd critically injured

NEW YORK (AP) — Kris Boyd was on the minds of his stunned but grateful New York Jets teammates as they returned to work a day after he was shot and wounded in midtown Manhattan.

Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips told reporters during a video call that some of his teammates had spoken to Boyd in the hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition Monday.

“I just know there’s been a lot of answered prayers,” Phillips said. “It’s a blessing to know that he’s in stable condition, surrounded by his family with a lot of support around him. Definitely from where the news was originally reported, there’s a lot of panic and a lot of emotion that goes into that. Not to lighten the situation, but I think we’re a little more grateful knowing he’s in stable condition now.”

Tight end Jeremy Ruckert said the news was devastating.

"So it’s time for us to come together,” Ruckert said. "And like I said, prayers for him and his family. And hopefully that everything will end up being all right.”

New York police released surveillance images Monday of a man sought in the shooting of the Jets cornerback and special teams standout.

A motive for the shooting remains under investigation and authorities said it's not clear if Boyd was targeted by the shooter. No other injuries were reported.

The shooting happened just after 2 a.m. Sunday on West 38th Street near Seventh Avenue, about halfway between Madison Square Garden and Times Square. Boyd, 29, was taken to Bellevue Hospital after being shot in the abdomen, police said. The shooter fled the scene.

Jets officials have said they are “aware of the situation involving Kris Boyd” but have declined further comment. Boyd’s agent has not responded to a text message inquiring about the incident.

Boyd hasn’t played this season, his first with the Jets, after going on the season-ending injured reserve list on Aug. 18 with a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair.

He signed with New York as a free agent in March and was expected to be a key part of a revamped special teams unit under new coach Aaron Glenn and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo. But Boyd was hurt during training camp practice Aug. 2 and carted from the field.

Boyd has been regarded as a special teams standout during his first six NFL seasons, including most of the last two with Houston.

He made headlines during the Texans’ divisional playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in January when he celebrated a forced fumble on a kickoff by ripping off his helmet and nearly shoving his special teams coach to the ground.

Boyd played his first four seasons with Minnesota after being a seventh-round pick by the Vikings out of Texas in 2019. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 and then joined Houston’s practice squad later that season.

Phillips was previously teammates with Boyd in Minnesota during the 2022 season before both joined the Jets this year.

“I’ll say something about K.B., though: Just such an energetic, such a positive person. ... And I can’t wait to see his smiling face again,” Phillips said.

FILE - Houston Texans cornerback Kris Boyd, currently a player with the New York Jets, looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Nov 24, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker, File)

FILE - New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd takes part in an NFL football training camp, July 23, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — A group of soldiers has appeared on Benin ’s state TV announcing the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.

The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, on Sunday announced the removal of the president and all state institutions.

Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri has been appointed president of the military committee, the soldiers said.

Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups, especially in the decades following its independence. Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Mathieu Kérékou, a Marxist-Leninist who renamed the country the People’s Republic of Benin.

President Patrice Talon had been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April after the presidential election.

Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, was the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.

Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.

The coup is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last week, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.

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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria

FILE - Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)