Former NFL player Phillip Adams was found guilty of killing five people and taking his own life, according to investigations
The man who shot and killed five people, including a prominent doctor, in South Carolina has been identified as a former NFL player. Phillip Adams, who committed suicide on Thursday morning, said a source familiar with the investigation.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to testify publicly, said Adams’ parents lived near the doctor’s Rock Hill home and that he had been treated by the doctor. The person said that Phillips committed suicide after midnight with a .45 caliber pistol.
Police said officers searched for hours before finding the suspect in a neighboring house.
Adams, 33, has played for several NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons after excelling at South Carolina State University. He suffered several career injuries, including concussions and a broken ankle.
Rarely playing as a starter, Adams also played for the New England, Seattle, Oakland and New York Jets, culminating in his 2015 Falcons career.
As a rookie at the end of the 2010 season, Adams suffered a serious ankle injury, which required surgery in which several screws were inserted into his foot. He stopped playing for the 49ers, was discharged before the 2011 season and signed with New England. Only in 2013, together with the Raiders, he managed to stay on salary for the whole season.
The coroner said Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, were pronounced dead at the scene along with their 9-year-old grandchildren, Adah Lesslie. and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie.
A man who worked at home, James Lewis, 38, was found dead outside, and a sixth person was hospitalized with gunshot wounds, police spokesman Trent Faris said.
Faris said officers came to Leslie’s Rock Hill residence around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Rock Hill is a town in the far north of South Carolina, about 40 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina.