ROCK HILL, SC (AP) – Former NFL player Phillip Adams fatally shot five people, including a prominent doctor, his wife and two grandchildren before committing suicide early Thursday.
York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told a news conference that investigators have not yet established a reason for Wednesday’s mass shootings.
“There’s nothing right now for any of us,” Tolson said.
Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara, 69, were pronounced dead at their home in Rock Hill, along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah. Lesslie, 5, told the York County Law Office.
A man working at Lesslie’s house, James Lewis, 38, of Gaston, was found shot outside. A sixth victim, Robert Shook, 38, of Cherryville, North Carolina, was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, where he was in critical condition “fighting hard for his life,” he said. a cousin, Heather Smith Thompson.
At Thursday’s news conference, Tolson played two 911 calls, the first from an HVAC company that hired Lewis and Shook. One of the men, the caller said, called him “screaming” and saying he had been shot and that his colleague had been shot and “did not answer.”
“I think it was a bad shot,” a different man said in a second 911 phone call, saying he was outside mowing his lawn and heard “about 20” gunshots at Lesslie’s home before he saw on someone leaving the house.
Tolson said evidence on the spot led authorities to Adams as a suspect. He said they went to Adams ‘parents’ house, evacuated them, and then tried to talk Adams out of the house. Eventually, they found him dead from a blow to the head.
Tolson said both the 45-caliber and 9-mm weapons were used in Wednesday’s shooting.
A person informed about the investigation told the Associated Press on Thursday that Adams was treated by Lesslie, who lived next to his parents’ house. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not allowed to speak in public.
However, Tolson did not confirm that Adams was the doctor’s patient.
Lesslie worked for decades as an emergency physician, certified on board in both emergency and occupational medicine and serving as emergency medical director for nearly 15 years at Rock Hill General Hospital, according to his website. web.
He and his wife had four children and nine grandchildren and were actively involved in their church, as well as in Camp Joy, which works with children with disabilities and where Lesslie served as a camp doctor for a week each summer. On Thursday, Tolson said the family demanded that any memorial be made in the camp.
Adams, 32, has played in 78 NFL games in five seasons for six teams. He joined the 49ers in 2010 as a seventh-round draft pick from South Carolina and, although he rarely started, he continued to play for the New England, Seattle, Oakland and New York Jets before and ended his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
As a rookie, Adams suffered a serious ankle injury and never played for the 49ers again. Later, along with the Raiders, he had two contusions in three games in 2012.
It was not immediately clear whether he had sustained concussion injuries. Adams would not have been eligible for testing as part of a comprehensive regulation between the league and former players for such injuries, because he had not retired until 2014.
Adams’ father told a Charlotte television station that he blamed football for his son’s problems, which could have led him to commit violence on Wednesday.
“I can say he’s a good kid – he was a good kid and I think football confused him,” Alonzo Adams told WCNC-TV.
Deputies were called Wednesday at around 4.45pm to the Lesslies house and evacuated neighbors while searching for a suspect for hours.
Allison Hope, who lives across from Adams ‘parents’ home about a mile from Lesslies, said police allowed her to return home Wednesday at 9 p.m. Moments later, a vehicle entered Adams Alley, and law enforcement quickly surrounded the property.
She said they spent hours negotiating with Phillip Adams, using a loudspeaker and sending a robot to scan the house. She said authorities repeatedly asked Adams to come out and promised to take his disabled mother out safely before Adams was shot.
“It’s something I can’t understand yet. I can’t put it all together and I try to, “said Hope.
Adams often isolated himself, even as a player, his agent, Scott Casterline, told the AP. Casterline said he spoke regularly with Adams’ father, who left him a voice message Wednesday morning.
“It simply came to our notice then. He shouldn’t be in his right mind, obviously, “Casterline said, adding that Adams fought away from the game.
“He had an injury at the beginning of the year. Some teams canceled him and he had that stigma of an injured guy, “said Casterline. “It was hard for him to get away from the game, especially a guy as devoted as he is.”
“I encouraged him to explore all of his disability options and he wouldn’t do that,” Casterline added. “I knew he was in pain and he missed football, but he would not take the health advice he was offered. He said he would, but he wouldn’t. ”
“I felt lost without football, somewhat depressed.”
Cowboys corner Kevin Smith, who coached Adams, said the former NFL player opened a smoothie store before hitting COVID-19. Both he and Casterline pointed out that Adams did not drink or use drugs.
Lesslie founded two emergency care centers and traveled to the country giving lectures to a group of emergency nurses, his website said. He wrote a weekly medical column for The Charlotte Observer and became a prolific author, writing several volumes with tips on how to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and lose weight.
The doctor also wrote a series of collections of what he called “true inspirational stories” from his work.
“I know for a fact that life is fragile,” Lesslie wrote in one of those books, “Angels in the ER.”
“I’m convinced we need to take the time to say the things we feel deeply to the people we care deeply about.”
A statement from the Lesslie family said they were “in the midst of the unimaginable,” but felt confident that “their hearts are bowed to forgiveness and peace.”
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Kinnard reported from Columbia, SC contributors include AP Pro football writers Barry Wilner of New York and Rob Maaddi of Philadelphia; Sports writer Josh Dubow in Alameda, California; Legal business writer Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia and Nell Redmond in Rock Hill. Meg Kinnard can be contacted at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.