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Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend, himself
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend early Saturday, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager, police said.
Police said the 25-year-old killed his girlfriend and then went to the team practice facility, where he shot himself. Police did not identify the victim.
Members of the Chiefs organization told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that some players noticed Belcher was troubled in his car, and went in the facility and told someone, before coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli called police and went outside to talk to him. Belcher then killed himself in front of them.
Before turning the gun on himself, Belcher thanked Crennel and Pioli for all they had done for him, police spokesman Darin Snapp said.
Belcher's mother was visiting the couple and saw the shooting. The couple had a 3-month-old daughter who was also at the house, the report said.
Authorities received a call Saturday morning from a woman who said her daughter had been shot multiple times at a residence about five miles away from the Arrowhead complex.
"When we arrived, a lady informed us that her daughter had been shot multiple times by her boyfriend, by the daughter's boyfriend," Snapp said. "She identified him as a Chiefs player."
Snapp said a call was then received from the Chiefs' facility.
"The description matched the suspect description from that other address. We kind of knew what we were dealing with," he 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."
Snapp described the girlfriend as in her early 20s and that she and the player had a child together. He said the woman's mother told police they had recently been arguing.
Arrowhead Stadium went into lockdown at about 8 a.m.
"We are cooperating with authorities in their investigation, the Chiefs said in a statement."
Kansas City is scheduled to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The league has informed the Panthers to travel as scheduled because the game is going on as scheduled.
The Chiefs, expected to contend for the AFC West title, are 1-10 and mired in an eight-game losing streak.
The Chiefs have been ravaged by injuries, lead the league in turnovers, can't settle on a quarterback and are dealing with a full-fledged fan rebellion.
Things have been so bad this season that Crennel fired himself as defensive coordinator. 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.
Belcher, an undrafted player out of Maine and native of West Babylon, N.Y., on Long Island, had started 44 of 59 games in his four seasons for the Chiefs, recording a career-high 61 tackles in 2011.
Raibonne Charles, a former Maine defensive lineman and teammate, said Belcher played the game with passion and was "a passionate person in life."
Charles said he hadn't talked to Belcher much since he made it to the NFL, but that everyone is obviously shocked.
"To be honest with you, I kind of just crumbled inside when I first heard the news," Charles said.
Charles described Belcher as an undersized linebacker whose 40-yard dash time wasn't exceptional. But he was an inspiration for a lot of guys at the school because he made it to the NFL despite his shortcomings, Charles said.
"The state of Maine tends to take a lot of pride in guys who may not necessarily be from the state but play for the University of Maine and make the NFL," Charles said. "I was often asked about him. 'Did you get to play with that guy Jovan?' This is definitely going to be devastating to the whole state."
Source: AP
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