A man identified as James Gulley, a former University of Tulsa soccer player who once chased a professional career overseas, has died on Park Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a report from Charlotte Alerts News. The incident, which the outlet says occurred on September 8, left people nearby shaken, per that report.
According to Charlotte Alerts News, Gulley had moved to Charlotte at some point before his death, and the outlet reports that the shooting near a wood line on Park Road caused fear among multiple people in the area. Charlotte Alerts News is currently the only outlet reporting on the circumstances of what happened that day, and no police, medical examiner, or other official public-record source has been cited confirming the details of the incident.
A Soccer Career That Took Him From Tulsa to Sweden
Before his life in Charlotte, Gulley built a soccer résumé that took him across the Atlantic. A 2017 announcement described him as a 25-year-old forward and University of Tulsa graduate who had trialled with USL side Tulsa Roughnecks the previous week, before the club decided against adding him, according to pscsocceracademy.com.
That setback led to an opportunity overseas. The same source reported that Gulley traveled to Örebro, Sweden, after earning a trial with Karlslunds IF HFK, taking part in the club’s preseason preparations alongside two other players from the same combine. The trio impressed the club’s technical director, Ibbe Bemacce.
Unverified Details in the Original Report
Charlotte Alerts News also reported additional personal details about Gulley, including that he was 34 years old, was a father with young children and a wife, and had become a marathon runner. The outlet’s report further described a past fentanyl overdose that it said sent him to the emergency room and left him incapacitated for days, along with claims that he used fitness as an outlet afterward and had dealt with suicidal ideation. None of these specific claims — including the reported overdose, the family details, his age, or any quoted statements attributed to him — have been independently verified by another source, and no official agency has been cited confirming them.
What is documented, through soccer-industry reporting from 2017, is Gulley’s athletic background: a Tulsa forward who trained with a professional USL club and then pursued an opportunity with a Swedish outfit before eventually settling in Charlotte, where his death was reported earlier this month. Any further details about the circumstances surrounding his death, including confirmation from law enforcement or a medical examiner, have not been made public as of this report.
