KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker
Jovan Belcher
killed his girlfriend Saturday morning, and minutes later, holding a
gun to his head, thanked his general manager and coach before shooting
himself outside the team's practice complex, authorities said.
Authorities did not release a motive for the murder-suicide, though
police said that Belcher and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Kasandra M.
Perkins, had been arguing recently. The two of them have a 3-month-old
girl who was being cared for by family.
Belcher thanked general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel
before pulling the trigger, police spokesman Darin Snapp said. Officers
had locked down the Chiefs facility by midmorning.
The team said it would play its home game against the
Carolina Panthers
as scheduled on Sunday at noon local time ''after discussions between
the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains.''
A spokesman for the team told The Associated Press that Crennel plans to coach on Sunday.
Belcher was a 25-year-old native of West Babylon, N.Y., on Long Island,
who played college ball at Maine. He signed with the Chiefs as an
undrafted free agent in 2009, made the team and stayed with it for four
years, moving into the starting lineup. He had played in all 11 games
this season.
''The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today's events, and
our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for
the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy,'' Chiefs
chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement.
''We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we
have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and
ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted,'' Hunt
said. ''We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and
work to ensure that the appropriate counseling resources are available
to all members of the organization.''
The NFL released a statement that also expressed sympathy and said,
''We have connected the Chiefs with our national team of professional
counselors to support both the team and the families of those affected.
We will continue to provide assistance in any way that we can.''
Authorities reported receiving a call Saturday morning from a woman who
said her daughter had been shot multiple times at a residence about
five miles from the Arrowhead Stadium complex. The call came from
Belcher's mother, who referred to the victim as her daughter, leading to
some initial confusion.
''She treated Kasandra like a daughter,'' Snapp said. Belcher's mother,
who is from New York, had recently moved in with the couple, ''probably
to help out with the baby,'' Snapp said.
Police then received a phone call from the Chiefs' training facility.
''The description matched the suspect description from that other
address. We kind of knew what we were dealing with,'' Snapp said. The
player was ''holding a gun to his head'' as he stood in front of the
front doors of the practice facility.
''And there were Pioli and Crennel and another coach or employee was
standing outside and appeared to be talking to him. It appeared they
were talking to the suspect,'' Snapp said. ''The suspect began to walk
in the opposite direction of the coaches and the officers and that's
when they heard the gunshot. It appears he took his own life.''
The coaches told police they never felt in any danger, Snapp said.
''They said the player was actually thanking them for everything they'd
done for him,'' he said. ''They were just talking to him and he was
thanking them and everything. That's when he walked away and shot
himself.''
At the home of Belcher's mother on Long Island, relatives declined to
talk to reporters. An SUV in the home's driveway was flying a small
Kansas City Chiefs flag.
The somber mood lightened somewhat as darkness fell, with music playing
and people drinking from Styrofoam cups. Belcher's family turned the
front yard into a shrine, with a large poster of the player, an array of
his trophies, and jerseys and jackets from Kansas City, Maine and West
Babylon High.
''He was a good, good person ... a family man. A loving guy,'' said
family friend Ruben Marshall, 42, who said he coached Belcher in youth
football. He was stunned by the shooting and suicide. ''You couldn't be
around a better person.''
At least 20 people gathered for a large group hug in the driveway.
''I still can't believe it,'' neighbor Roy Brown said. ''I don't believe it.''
Perkin's Facebook page shows the couple smiling and holding the baby.
''His move to the NFL was in keeping with his dreams,'' said Jack
Cosgrove, who coached Belcher at Maine. ''This is an indescribably
horrible tragedy.''
Dwayne Wilmot, who was Belcher's position coach at Maine and is now an
assistant coach at Yale, said, ''He was a tremendous player and all
those things, and his accolades speak for themselves, but he lit up when
he spoke about his mom, or when he hugged his family after games.
''It's difficult to talk about Jovan in the past tense,'' he told the
AP. ''There's going to be unanswered questions, the why's of this
tragedy. It'll never be truly known to us.''
Wilmot said he'd stayed in touch with Belcher the past few years through social media.
''He was someone who took genuine pleasure in bringing happiness to
others,'' Wilmot said. ''I was so excited when he became a father,
because I knew he'd be a great father.''
Belcher is the latest among several players and NFL retirees to die
from self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the past couple of years. The
death of the beloved star Junior Seau, who shot himself in the chest at
his California home last May, sent shockwaves around the league.
Seau's family, like those of other suicide victims, has donated his
brain tissue to determine if head injuries he sustained playing football
might be linked to his death.
Belcher did not have an extensive injury history, though the linebacker
showed up on the official injury report on Nov. 11, 2009, as being
limited in practice with a head injury. Belcher played four days later
against the
Oakland Raiders.
Earlier this year, the NFL provided a grant to help establish an
independently operated phone service that connects players, coaches,
team officials and other staff with counselors trained to work through
personal and emotional crises. The NFL Life Line is available 24 hours a
day.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James said that he spoke to Pioli after the shooting.
''I can tell you that you have absolutely no idea what it's like to see
someone kill themselves,'' James said. ''You can take your worst
nightmare and put someone you know and love in that situation, and give
them a gun and stand three feet away and watch them kill themselves.
That's what it's like.
''It's unfathomable.''
The season has been a massive disappointment for the Chiefs, who were
expected to contend for the AFC West title. They're just 1-10 and mired
in an eight-game losing streak marked by injuries, poor play and fan
upheaval, with constant calls the past several weeks for Pioli and
Crennel to be fired.
The Twitter account for a fan group known as ''Save Our Chiefs''
recently surpassed 80,000 followers, about 17,000 more than the
announced crowd at a recent game. The group was organizing a ''Can Scott
Pioli'' food drive for Sunday that has since been canceled.
SOURCE: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/jovan-belcher-kansas-city-chiefs-kills-self-suicide-kills-girlfriend-team-facility-120112
