Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said authorities were called to McKinley's apartment in Centennial at 3:35 p.m. local time and found his body in the second-floor master bedroom. He said detectives believe McKinley, 23, was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Robinson said authorities were called by a female friend of McKinley's who discovered the body after returning from an errand with his child. The sheriff declined to say if authorities found a suicide note.

“It's still part of our investigation and probably nothing we'll talk about right now,” he said.

McKinley's death is the latest in a series for tragedies for the Broncos in recent years. Cornerback Darrent Williams was slain in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day 2007 and three months later backup running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in St.

Louis.

“Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley,” team owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. “He was part of the Broncos' family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny's family and friends.” In a statement, coach Josh McDaniels said: “Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room. This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.” McKinley was a second-year professional who was on the team's injured reserve list with a knee injury. He played in eight games as a rookie in 2009 with seven kick returns for 158 yards before going on injured reserve with a knee injury on Dec. 29.

He recovered and participated in the team's offseason workouts but got hurt again during the first week of training camp and was placed on IR with a knee injury on Aug. 5.

McKinley was a fifth-round draft choice in 2009 out of South Carolina, where he is the all-time leading receiver with 207 catches for 2,781 yards.

Several Broncos players were attending a fundraiser Monday night in honor of Williams.

The Broncos, who beat Seattle 31-14 on Sunday, hustled out of their Dove Valley practice facilities Monday night, many of them headed to the charity event unaware of the latest tragedy to befall the franchise.