LINDENWOLD, N.J. -- Damien Covington, a former linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, was shot to death by robbers Friday night during a party at an apartment.

Covington tried to fight off at least two assailants before being shot several times, Bill Shralow, a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, said Saturday.

Investigators believe the gunmen were ``looking for something of value inside the apartment. They're not sure what,'' Shralow told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill.

The 29-year-old Covington, who died at the scene, did not live at the apartment, Shralow said.

Gunmen also shot at a second person at the party, but the bullets missed. The suspects fled and police have not released descriptions.

Covington, a star linebacker in the early '90s at North Carolina State, spent the 1995 and 1996 seasons with the Bills. His career was cut short in 1997 by a knee injury.

Covington was an All South Jersey sports star at Overbrook High School. He recently returned to his home state from Maryland.