Former NFL cornerback Phillip Adams has been named the gunman who murdered five people and injured another before committing suicide in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
One of the victims was Dr. Robert Lesslie, who served as the emergency department medical director for almost 15 years at Rock Hill General Hospital. Lesslie had reportedly been treating Adams for issues that the latter’s father felt were related to his injuries while playing football.
Authorities surrounded the nearby home of Adams’ parents after evidence led to him as a suspect.
The Associated Press revealed the details of the tragedy.
Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, were pronounced dead at the scene along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5, the York County coroner’s office said.
A man who had been working at the home, James Lewis, 38, from Gaston, was found shot to death outside, and a sixth person was hospitalized with “serious gunshot wounds,” York County Sheriff’s Office’s spokesperson Trent Faris said.
Adams came into the NFL as a seventh-round pick out of South Carolina for the San Francisco 49ers. He suffered a major ankle injury during his rookie year and eventually found his way out of San Francisco after just one season.
Adams would play in 78 games for six teams over the next five seasons, including stints with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and New York Jets, until his final year with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. Adams’ father feels his time in the NFL and departure from the game had a tremendous effect on his well-being after football.
It has since been revealed that Adams suffered two concussions in three games during his time with the Oakland Raiders back in 2012. His reported struggles off the field have now raised further questions regarding the effects of CTE and the role it played in this tragedy.
