It might not have seemed lucky at the time, but Calgary Stampeders kickers Sandro DeAngelis can likely thank a run-in with a deer while driving to his off-season home in Omaha, Neb., last week for possibly saving his life.
DeAngelis, who spends his off-seasons in Omaha, where his wife was born and raised, planned to head to the Westroads Mall yesterday afternoon where a 20-year-old gunman, identified as Robert A. Hawkins, killed eight people from the third floor balcony of a Von Maur department store before killing himself.
DeAngelis was going to meet his mother-in-law at the mall, as she had a nearby appointment, but then opted not to. The kicker was stuck at home yesterday because his car is in the shop after hitting the deer on the recent drive home from Calgary.
"It's one of those weird things," he said. "My wife suggested going to the mall and waiting for her mom and that got crossed out of the plans.
"It's a good thing it did."
DeAngelis called the shooting shocking, describing the area around mall as affluent.
"It's one of those things that can happen anywhere," he said.
"Omaha is pretty much the all-American city, people are fairly well off money-wise here and there's very low crime, it's a good city to call home."
