Travis Rudolph opened fire with a rifle on a group of four people who showed up at his home in response to an internal dispute between former Giants wide receiver and his girlfriend, police witnesses said, according to a statement on probable cause published by WPTV.
Rudolph, who made eight catches as a raw rookie for the 2017 Giants, was arrested and charged with a first-degree murder charge and three counts of attempted murder Wednesday in Florida. Police found one person injured on the spot – taken to a local hospital in critical but stable condition – and another person who died from multiple injuries by shooting himself in the passenger seat of a Cadillac that had fled the scene.
A woman inside Rudolph’s home has revealed the incident as a “self-defense” for investigators, but the former Florida football star, the unidentified woman and another person refused to talk to police and claimed their right to a lawyer, according to the statement.
Rudolph and a woman who identified themselves as his girlfriend had a physical altercation on Tuesday night, according to the statement. A few hours later, four people arrived at Rudolph’s house in a Cadillac and knocked on his door with what was later described to police as intent to speak. They were unarmed, a group member told police.
A fight broke out and a witness allegedly tried to break it. Rudolph, who was described as “immediately fighting and confrontational,” entered his home and returned with a rifle and began firing as others climbed into the car to flee, police said. Rudolph allegedly chased the car and continued firing.
A neighbor allegedly witnessed the fight between Rudolph and his girlfriend and later heard the shots and saw Rudolph walking back home with a rifle, according to the report.
The statement mentions the external security cameras on the property, but does not specify whether the cameras were functional or whether a film was recovered.
The driver of the car fleeing the scene did not realize that a person was left behind, police said.