Redskins Safety Sean Taylor Dies One Day After Being Shot in Home

MIAMI — Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor died Tuesday after he was shot in his home by an apparent intruder, leaving the Washington Redskins in mourning for a teammate who seemed to have reordered his life since becoming a father.

The 24-year-old player died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday, family friend Richard Sharpstein said. Sharpstein said Taylor's father informed him of the death at about 5:30 a.m.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

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A string of mourners, including Taylor's father, visited the player's home and embraced outside. Authorities entered the home, but it was unclear what they were doing.

"This is the worst imaginable tragedy," Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Sean's family."

A statement from father Pedro Taylor and his family said funeral plans would be announced and thanked fans, hospital staff, the Redskins and the media.

"It is with deep regret that a young man had to come to his end so soon," the statement said. "Many of his fans loved him because the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him."

Redskins teammate Clinton Portis also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. He had sensed a new maturity in his close friend.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," Portis said. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

Two bouquets were left by a palm tree outside a front gate of the home. Beside the mailbox, an untouched newspaper lay with news of Taylor's shooting. One bouquet was left by Luis H. Perez, who said he played football with Taylor in high school. "He never do anything to nobody, so it's a loss," Perez said.

Taylor's death comes nearly a year after Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting following an argument at a Denver nightclub on Jan. 1. University of Miami defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot to death in November 2006 several miles from Taylor's home in an unsolved killing.

At Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., fans began a makeshift memorial by laying flowers on a field near the front entrance. Several people paid silent respects at Taylor's parking space, a reward he received as the team's defensive player of the week in a game against Philadelphia in September.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president of football operations. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being taken to the hospital, and he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.

"Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.

Taylor, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft following an All-American season at Miami, was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging the key femoral artery and causing significant blood loss.

"According to a preliminary investigation, it appears that the victim was shot inside the home by an intruder," Miami-Dade County police said in a statement. "We do not have a subject description at this time."

The attack came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were sent to the home about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911.

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend was injured.

Police found signs of forced entry, but have not determined if they were caused Monday or during the previous burglary.

The shooting happened in the pale yellow house Taylor bought two years ago. In last week's break-in, police said someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed.

"They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."

Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Prep in Miami. His father is police chief of Florida City.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart.

After Taylor was drafted, problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a monthslong distraction for the Redskins.

Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a 2006 playoff game.

Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that his daughter was born, and teammates noticed a change.

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he'd ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee.

"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."

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Four arrested in death of Sean Taylor


MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Four men have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of NFL player Sean Taylor, authorities announced Friday evening.

Police have more than one confession in the case and the individuals will be charged with murder, said Robert Parker, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The suspects were identified as Venjah K. Hunte, 20; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 17; and Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18.

Additional arrests are possible, Parker said.

"The key to solving this case was citizen's tips," he said.

Taylor, 24, died Tuesday, a day after he was shot during an apparent burglary at his Miami home.

The police investigation revealed the suspects thought the house was empty, Parker said.

"They were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone," he said. "They were expecting a residence that was not occupied, so murder or shooting someone was not their initial motive. ... Their obvious motive was to go there and steal the contents of the house."

The men knew Taylor lived at the house, Parker said.

At 1:45 a.m. Monday, Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, called 911 and said someone had been shot.

Authorities have said she told police she was hiding under the bedding during the attack.

Garcia did not see what happened and could not provide a suspect description, Parker told reporters on Wednesday.

Police said Garcia and Taylor were awakened by noise in the living room, and that Taylor got up and locked the bedroom door, but the door was kicked in and two shots were fired, one striking him in the leg.

Garcia tried to call 911 but was unable to, and used her cell phone instead, police said. There was no evidence the line had been cut, Parker said Wednesday.

A break-in was also reported eight days earlier, Miami-Dade police said.

A police report said someone forced a window open and left a kitchen knife on a bed. Several drawers and a bedroom safe were searched during the break-in, according to the report.

Taylor was home unexpectedly because of an injury, his former attorney, Richard Sharpstein, told reporters Tuesday. "I think he was surprised or they were surprised to find him there," he said.

Taylor spent four years with the Washington Redskins, but had been out with a sprained right knee. He did not play in Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

Taylor was a first-round pick in the 2004 draft, according to his team's web site.

He played at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003, and was also a high school standout in the city. Dubbing him "the prototype NFL free safety," the Redskins credited Taylor's team-leading tackling prowess for sending him to his first Pro Bowl after 2006.

He was regarded as one of the hardest hitting players in the league. Taylor recorded 257 tackles (206 solo) during his brief career, two sacks and seven interceptions


Four arrested in death of Sean Taylor - CNN.com

there are reports that one of the suspects used to do yardwork for Mr. Taylor....

could explain how they knew the layout of the house and his schedule

really really sad story

Thousands mourn Taylor

Thousands filled an arena at Miami’s Florida International University yesterday for Sean Taylor’s funeral, with his coach praising his “excitement for life” and the NFL commissioner telling mourners the Washington Redskins star “loved football and football loved him back.”

The funeral comes a week after Taylor was shot in his home and days after four men were charged with killing him during the robbery. A lawyer for one of the suspects confirmed there was a fifth suspect.

Taylor’s casket was surrounded by bouquets while a video display behind it showed Taylor from his days with the Redskins, Miami Hurricanes and high school.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it had been a “sad week” for the league family.

“It’s times like this that all of us struggle to find meaning in life,” Goodell told the mourners. “The NFL was proud of Sean Taylor. He loved football and football loved him back. But more importantly, it was what he was as a man and what he was becoming as a man.”

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs spoke to Taylor’s growing spirituality.

“I think he’s going to have 100-year football games,” Gibbs said. “He had excitement for life and certainly he can still live forever. For me personally, I want to play on Sean’s team.”

Meanwhile in Fort Myers, the four young men charged in Taylor’s death sat in jail cells, while a lawyer for one said a fifth suspect was being sought.

Bad break for NY’s Ward

Derrick Ward, the New York Giants’ leading rusher, suffered a broken leg Sunday against Chicago and will be out indefinitely.

Ward fractured his left fibula, the thinner of the two bones extending from the knee to the ankle, in the fourth quarter of New York’s 21-16 come-from-behind victory. He rushed 24 times for a career-high 154 yards. . . .

Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said there is a “possibility” quarterback Jeff Garcia could play this week against Houston.

Gruden said there is nothing structurally wrong with Garcia’s bruised back and despite backup Luke McCowan’s big game in Tampa Bay’s 27-23 victory over New Orleans on Sunday, his 37-year-old starter will be back in the lineup as soon as he is medically cleared to play.

Lions lose Williams

Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams is expected to miss the rest of the regular season because of a sprained knee.

Lions coach Rod Marinelli announced that Williams has a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and that he will miss “several weeks.”


Detroit also lost reserve safety LaMarcus Hicks to a broken ankle, while cornerback Travis Fisher was undergoing tests on his injured wrist. . . .

Miami safety Cameron Worrell tore his ACL in the Dolphins’ 40-13 loss to the New York Jets [team stats] on Sunday, coach Cam Cameron said. . . .

The Green Bay Packers board of directors unanimously approved the appointment of Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy as the team’s new top executive, ending the search for a successor to longtime Packers leader Bob Harlan


Thousands mourn Taylor - BostonHerald.com