Among the victims were the doctor's wife and two of their eight grandchildren. The shooter, identified as a former NFL cornerback, was found dead in a nearby house.
A doctor, his wife and two of their grandchildren were shot dead in their homeison in Rock Hill, SC on Wednesday night and a fifth person was found dead outside, police said
A neighbor from the family was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot at a nearby second home after a standoff with police, who were serving a search warrant, authorities said.
The York County Coroner's Office identified him Thursday as 32-year-old Phillip Adams. Mr. Adams was a former professional football cornerback who was on six-team rosters for six seasons in the NFL.
The York County Sheriff's Office, in a post on Twitter , identified four of those killed as Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife, Barbara, and two of their grandchildren. The coroner identified the children as Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5. The website of a medical practice where Dr Lesslie, 70, worked, said he and his wife , 69, had eight grandchildren.
The fifth fatally shot, James Lewis, aged 3, 8, was working at the home. He was found outside the house, the coroner said. According to Trent Faris, a spokesperson for the county sheriff, a sixth victim was taken to a hospital with serious gunshot wounds.
Officer Faris told reporters on Thursday that police had served a search warrant at the home, but his office declined to provide further details or to confirm the identity of the suspect. "There is no active threat to the community ", county officials said in a statement on Facebook .
A man who identified himself as the father of Mr. Adams told an Atlanta TV station that her son committed the murders and then committed suicide.
"I can tell he's a good kid. VS'Was a good boy,' said the man, Alonzo Adams. “I think football ruined it. I don't think he ever hurt anyone. "
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Phillip Adams has played for six teams in six seasons in the NFL Credit ... Paul Sakuma / Associated Press Alonzo Adams said he knew Dr Lesslie and had even been his patient a long time ago. ”
" I know they were good people there, "he said. "I don't know what happened or not. We will keep them in our prayers. You keep us all in your prayers.
A person who answered the phone at the sheriff's office Thursday morning said no officer was available to comment further on the shootings. A press conference was scheduled for the afternoon.
The purpose of the shoot was unknown. Agent Faris said there was no evidence of an accomplice.
Officer Faris stated that Dr Lesslie had been a top physicianplan in the community of Rock Hill and had opened a local medical center. He had been practicing medicine in Rock Hill, which is about 25 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 1981 and was an emergency medicine specialist, according to the medical practice where he worked.
The doctor had also been an active member of his church, a newspaper and magazine columnist, and the author of several non-fictional works on emergency medical workers.
" I see my medical career as an opportunity to go beyond the simple diagnosis and treatment of individual patients, "he said wrote on his website . "For me, it is a way to respond to a higher calling by meeting the actual physical and emotional needs of patients.
Mr. Adams was born in South Carolina and played college football at South Carolina State University. A cornerback, he was drafted in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2010. He played in all but one of his rookie games, then split the time between the New England Patriots and the New England Seahawks. Seattle in 2011. Adams passed the game. after two seasons with the Oakland Raiders. In 2012, he suffered two concussions in three games .
Adams played his last two seasons with the Atlanta Jets and Falcons. During his six-year career, he's appeared in 78 games . He's also been a punt turner, one of football's most dangerous roles, in three of his six seasons.
It was not clear if Adams 'parents would have his brain sent to researchers who could determine if he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease associated with trauma repeated cranial. It has been associated with mood swings and temper tantrums.
The disease can only be diagnosed posthumously - a process that often takes months - although researchborn by scientists at Boston University School of Medicine have shown that memory loss and difficulty concentrating, following instructions, and managing daily tasks are more helpful in predicting C.T.E. than behavioral symptoms.
Rock Hill, with a population of 67,000, is a small town where everyone knows each other. Constable Faris said Dr Lesslie had been his childhood doctor.
"This is not happening here," he said. "So this is one of those weird things that many people will have a hard time understanding.
