The Vanderbilt Commodores football team was devastated by the murder of 2010 signee Rajaan Bennett early Thursday morning. (Rivals.com Photo)

Tragedy struck the Vanderbilt Commodores football team early Thursday morning, when 2010 football signee Rajaan Bennett was murdered in an apparent murder-suicide in Powder Springs, Georgia.

Clifton O'Neal Steger, a former boyfriend of Bennett's mother was also killed by what police identified as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Police arrived on the scene after receiving a 911 call from the house at about 2:30 a.m. whispering that they needed help. Four minutes later, police showed up and heard gunshots ringing out from inside the residence.

According to McEachern High School athletics director Jimmy Dorsey, Bennett's mother had broken up with Steger a week before the murder-suicide.

Steger was present and introduced as "a family friend" two weeks ago when Bennett signed his National Letter of Intent with Vanderbilt at McEachern.

The 18-year-old Bennett was the oldest of four children. His father died when he was in the sixth grade and he took charge as the man of the house.

"Rajaan was the man of the house," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "He took care of his brother and his mother and his sisters, and they all looked up to him. That's what he was trying to do at the end."

Bennett's murder casts a grim shadow over the Vanderbilt community. He was one of Vanderbilt's top prospects in the 2010 class, rated as a 4-star running back by the Rivals.com recruiting service.

"All of us at Vanderbilt are devastated by news of Rajaan’s death," Johnson told reporters in Nashville. "This is just so tragic to everybody that knew and loved Rajaan. Our thoughts and prayers are with his mother and family members. He was a leader, a young man who gained the respect of the entire community at McEachern High School."

Bennett's uncle Taiwan Hunter was also shot in the incident and is in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center.

This is the second time in recent memory that Vanderbilt has lost a player to a shooting. Former Vanderbilt running back Kwane Doster was shot in killed in his car in Tampa Bay in 2004.

Jermaine Doster, Kwane's brother, is a redshirt sophomore on Vanderbilt's team. He served a year-long suspension during the 2008 season following an incident at a bar. He was suspended in October after he was stunned by police during a fight in Nashville.

"It's just total shock, total disbelief," Johnson said. "Questions go through your mind. How did this happen, and how did it happen to good guys like Kwane and Rajaan? Unfortunately, we don't have answers to those [questions]. That's the bad part of it."