Ex-NFL player Phillip Adams accused of killing 5 before shooting himself: report
Adams has been identified as the gunman who killed five people in Rock Hill, South Carolina and seriously injured a sixth.
Former NFL player Phillip Adams has been identified as the gunman who shot and killed five people in Rock Hill, South Carolina overnight, and Adams has also reportedly taken his own life.
According to an Associated Press report, an anonymous source said Adams was being treated by a prominent South Carolina doctor, who was one of the shooting victims.
York County coroner has confirmed that Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, were pronounced dead at the scene, along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, nine, and Noah Lesslie, five.
Another man who had been working at the Lesslie home, James Lewis, was also shot and killed. A sixth person with “serious gunshot wounds” has been hospitalized.
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“We have found the person we believe is responsible and we are with him at this time, and that’s all I can say about the suspect,” York County Sheriff’s Office’s spokesperson Trent Faris said at a press conference.
He also said that he knew the doctor personally.
“Dr. Lesslie was my doctor growing up,” Faris said. “Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows. He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill, and it’s been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”
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Adams, 32, was a native of Rock Hill, The shooting took place near his parents’ home.
He was a cornerback who played for seven different NFL teams, his last signing with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
Adams is the second former NFL player accused of murder in as many days. Former wide receiver Travis Rudolph was arrested this morning on first-degree murder and attempted murder charges following a shooting in Florida.
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In a statement, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said four individuals were “shot at or by” 25-year-old Rudolph.
No motives have been disclosed in either shooting, and both are currently under investigation.
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