A gunman in the Wednesday killing of five people in South Carolina was former NFL player Phillip Adams, who then killed himself, a source told the Associated Press.
A doctor, his wife their two young grandchildren were among those found Wednesday evening at a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They died as a result of gunshot wounds, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office.
Adams’ parents live near the doctor’s home, and he has been treated by the doctor in the past, according to the AP’s source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. The source said Adams, 33, killed himself after midnight Thursday.
Read more:What we know about Phillip Adams
Police have not yet publicly named the suspect but said officers identified the suspect in a nearby house after an hourslong search Wednesday night.The York County Sheriff’s Office has scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. ET.
Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, Barbara Lesslie, 69, and their grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the York County coroner’s office. James Lewis, 38, was found dead outside. Lewis was working at the home at the time, police said.
A sixth person was injured and taken to a local hospital for serious gunshot wounds, said Trent Faris, York County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, in a press conference.
Faris said officers were called to the scene around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday. He said Robert Lesslie was his own doctor growing up.
“Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows,” he said. “He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill and it has been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”
He and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren, according to a website bio. They lived in Rock Hill, South Carolina with their golden retriever, several miniature horses, goats, donkeys and chickens. He enjoyed golfing and bagpiping.
Lesslie practiced in the area since 1981. He worked in emergency rooms for decades, including as medical director of the emergency department at Rock Hill General Hospital for almost 15 years, according to a website bio.
Lesslie also founded two urgent care centers in the area and was also an author and columnist. His 2008 book, “Angels in the ER,” told the stories of ER patients and staff, and for seven years, Lesslie wrote a weekly medical column for the Charlotte Observer.
“It doesn’t happen here,” Faris said at the press conference. “It’s one of those strange things that a lot of people are going to have a hard time understanding.”
Adams spent six seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, before his career ended in 2015.
As a rookie in 2010, Adams suffered a severe ankle injury that required surgery, and later, in 2012, he had two concussions in a 3 game period.
Adams’ father told a Charlotte television station that he blamed football for problems that may have led his son to commit Wednesday’s violence.
“I can say he’s a good kid,” Alonzo Adams told WCNC-TV. “I think the football messed him up.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
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