'Senseless': Tobias Dorzon, NFL player turned celebrity chef, shot in Maryland robbery
An NFL player turned celebrity chef has been shot during an apparent robbery in Maryland, and now police say they're searching for five suspects.
The shooting happened on Wednesday as the suspects attempted to rob a man and woman as they returned to dinner in Prince George's County, part of the metro Washington, D.C. area, the Hyattsville Police Department said in a Facebook post. The pair's injuries were not life-threatening, they said.
While police did not identify the shooting victims, Prince George’s County Council member Wanika Fisher issued a statement confirming that the man who was shot is Tobias Dorzon.
Dorzon once played running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans. He's now the executive head chef of Huncho House in Hyattsville.
“I am disheartened and saddened by the news that Prince George’s County restaurant owner Tobias Dorzon was one of two people shot during an attempted robbery Tuesday night in my district," Fisher's statement reads.
USA TODAY was working to find out how Dorzon is doing now.
Wanika Fisher: 'I look forward to seeing Chef Dorzon back in the kitchen'
Dorzon owns two "amazing restaurants in Hyattsville," according to Fisher, who also called him a "valued member of the District 2 community, and dear friend."
"Such a horrible act couldn’t have happened to a better person," the council member said. "I am sending my deepest sympathies to him and the second victim, as well as their families and friends, and I wish them both a speedy recovery. We have no place for this kind of senseless violence in our district or our county."
In addition to sending well wishes, Fisher reflected on when she honored Dorzon with a proclamation after he was named the 2024 Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland. This honor made him the first chef from Prince George's County to receive the award.
"He is an extremely talented chef who has represented our county on the national stage while appearing on several Food Network programs," according to Fisher's statement. "I want to see those responsible for this heinous act held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and I look forward to seeing Chef Dorzon back in the kitchen soon.”
Before opening up Huncho House, Dorzon was the executive chef of NBA player James Harden's restaurant in Houston, Texas, called Thirteen, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Hyattsville police: Suspects drove white SUV with a sunroof
Hyattsville police shared an X post on Wednesday announcing that the department now had descriptions for four of the five suspects and their vehicle, described as "a white SUV with a sunroof and an unknown tag."
The four suspects were described as men who were wearing black jackets with hoods. Three of them were holding semi-automatic handguns while another was wielding a short-barrel rifle, police said. Two of them wore light-colored jeans, another had on dark pants with a white stripe and the fourth had solid-colored dark pants on, according to the department.
Police are continuing to work on a description for the fifth suspect, the department said.
Dorzon was shot only about 2 miles away from Huncho House.
More about Tobias Dorzon
Dorzon's love of food was inspired by cooking with his West African father as a child, according to the 39-year-old's bio on his restaurant's website.
"His father traveled from West Africa and raised Tobias in Maryland, where he was able to immerse his upbringing and culture into nurturing his culinary skills," according to the bio. "With his Italian training and love for all regions of food, he wants to bring something unique and inviting back to his hometown."
Google lists Huncho House as temporarily closed.