NFL player shoots and kills girlfriend, before turning gun on himself
A pro football player for the Kansas City Chiefs shot and killed his girlfriend Saturday before driving to the team’s stadium and committing suicide in front of his coach and general manager.
Authorities did not release a possible motive for the murder-suicide, though police said that Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Kasandra M. Perkins, had been arguing recently. The two of them have a 3-month-old child who was being cared for by family.
Belcher thanked general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel before shooting himself in the parking lot of the team’s practice facility, police spokesman Darin Snapp said. Police had locked it down by mid-morning and reporters were confined to the street just outside the gates.
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, New York, on Long Island, who played college ball at Maine. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, 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 organisation.”
