WSU coach Jimmy Rogers on shooting of OL Sone Falealo: ‘It puts life into perspective’

PULLMAN – In the hours after Washington State redshirt freshman offensive lineman Sone Falealo was shot at a Pullman party early Sunday morning, head coach Jimmy Rogers made his way to the Pullman Regional Hospital to accompany him.

Rogers was with Falealo from about 2:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., Rogers said, keeping him company. Falealo had undergone surgery to remove the bullet, which went into his abdomen but did not damage any organs, according to court records. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The shooting happened at an off-campus party at about 1:47 a.m. Sunday morning, according to court records, after WSU dropped a 59-24 decision to rival Washington in the Apple Cup.

Later on Sunday, Rogers said, he called a team meeting to address the situation. He declined to detail what he told the team, but he said “it was sincere. It was from the heart.”

“It think it puts life into perspective,” said Rogers, who added that Falealo’s parents were able to visit the next day. “That was kind of my message. I was obviously upset and frustrated with the loss, and getting that call in the middle of the night is scary. I think our players did the right thing as far as the process in which they went about the whole incident, and we were there for them. Something like that, that could be life-altering or death-threatening, it’s a serious deal, and it kinda puts the game of football in the background a little bit.”

The suspect, 20-year-old Jakori Buchanan, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the King County Jail, according to a Pullman Police Facebook post. A University of Washington student, Buchanan will be transported to Whitman County for his initial court appearance.

Falealo, an Alaska native who spent his freshman season at nearby Idaho, was at the Aspen Heights Apartments with two friends, Jaylin Caldwell and Xavier Thorpe, two other WSU offensive linemen. They were all asked to be security, according to court documents.

A woman told police that Buchanan punched her in the chest and she punched him back after Buchanan tried to punch her again, according to documents. Falealo, Caldwell and Thorpe tried to intervene. Falealo confronted Buchanan, and Buchanan shot him, documents say.

Thorpe told officers he called police after he saw the suspect and his friends get into a dark sedan and drive away.

In the days that followed, Rogers said, team officials communicated with the parents of players, as well as parents of class of 2026 high school prospects who have committed to WSU.

“We did all that really properly, so that they were well aware of the situation and understood the magnitude of how serious that we take these things,” Rogers said, indicating he has been checking in with Falealo consistently since the incident. “Obviously, we don’t want this ever to come about. This is a safe community, and things like that shouldn’t happen in this town. As of what I’ve known, this is unique in a sense, and I do believe that this is a safe community. And it’s unfortunate that things like that happen.”

Veteran DT likely

to miss rest of season

Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Max Baloun, who exited early from Saturday’s game with an apparent knee injury, will be out for “probably the season,” Rogers said. Baloun, who is set for surgery next week, had started all four games thus far.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Baloun followed Rogers from FCS South Dakota State to WSU during the offseason, playing an integral role on the Cougars’ defensive line. In 100 snaps this fall, Baloun had registered three tackles for loss and one sack.

Baloun redshirted his true freshman season, but because of when in the season this injury happened, it’s possible he could obtain a medical redshirt and get another year of eligibility. Asked about the possibility, Rogers said, “I hope so, if we can get that.”

To meet medical redshirt requirements, according to the NCAA, the injury must be season-ending and occur before the halfway point of the year. The player cannot have participated in 30% of the season’s games – and short of playing in the fourth of 12 regular-season matchups, Baloun would be right around that mark.

Fellow defensive tackle Bryson Lamb, who Rogers had previously indicated was questionable after sustaining an injury during pregame warmups on Saturday, might be trending toward being available for WSU’s road game against Colorado State this weekend.

“I think Bryson is will be ready to play and have an impact,” Rogers said Tuesday.

Lamb started each of the first three games of the season for WSU, totaling eight tackles (six solo, one for loss) in 95 snaps. Listed at 6-2 and 301 pounds, Lamb played an equally key role. After playing in all 13 games last season, including one as a starter, Lamb looked poised for a breakout season this fall.