A suspect in a US gun murder has been playing for basketball team in Scotland.
The Record can reveal that Malik Dunbar, 28, signed for East Kilbride based Caledonia Gladiators at the beginning of December.
He joined the team just two months after he was named as a suspect in the shooting of a 32-year-old man in a car park in the state of Georgia.
Arthur Braxton, 32, was gunned down outside Mexican restaurant El Presidente in downtown Augusta on October 4. The dad-of-four, from South Carolina, was shot at least once and pronounced dead at the scene by officers.
Local police said that one person was detained for questioning while investigators worked to gather more details about the incident.
A spokesperson for Richmond County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the Record that Dunbar, who is from North Augusta in South Carolina, is a named suspect.
Caledonia Gladiators say they were not made aware of any such allegations against Dunbar when they signed the player and the team has since launched an internal review.
The club also confirmed that on Tuesday January 14, Dunbar and fellow player Jared Wilson-Frame – who also signed on December 5 – both had their contracts terminated for an unknown separate matter, which the club have described as a “serious breach of club discipline”.
The nature of the incident is not known.
A spokesperson for Caledonia Gladiators said: “As of 14 January 2025, Caledonia Gladiators can confirm that the club has terminated the contracts of both Malik Dunbar and Jared Wilson-Frame, who joined the club last month, with immediate effect based on a serious breach of club discipline.
“Following this breach, we have since been made aware of serious allegations circulating on a separate matter in relation to Malik Dunbar in the US and prior to his arrival with the club but we cannot comment on any potential police investigation.
“We work with reputable sports agencies who supply players to clubs across the world and no allegations were disclosed as part of our due diligence process. As such, an internal review has now been launched with the relevant stakeholders.”
After signing for the club for the remainder of the 2024/2025 season, Caledonia Gladiators said they were “delighted” to announce Dunbar’s arrival, as they described him as a “6’6 American shooting guard”. Prior to his arrival in Scotland, Dunbar played most recently for Indonesian side RANS Simba Bogor in the Indonesia-IBL.
He started his career at the College of South Central Florida before transferring to Division 1 school, Auburn University for his final two years of college. Following College, Dunbar played for the Golden State Warriors during the NBA’s Summer League before heading overseas to play in Egypt and Germany, with time spent in the NBA G League – the minor league organization of the National Basketball Association – throughout his career.
It is understood Dunbar has played eight times for the Caledonia Gladiators – who compete in the UK Super League Basketball division – since he was signed on December 5, 2024.
The athlete is well-known in the States and has over 21,000 followers on Instagram.
During his short spell at the club, he posted a number of pictures of him in action for the Lanarkshire side on social media.
In a cryptic post on his Instagram page on Tuesday evening, he posted a picture of him and Wilson-Frame high-fiving during a match. The picture was captioned: “That’s it that’s all.”
The Caledonian Gladiators currently sit bottom of the nine-team Super League Basketball division, with just four points from 12 games.
The Record has contacted Malik Dunbar for comment.
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