Officials will examine the brains of Phillip Adams, the former professional football player accused of fatally shooting a South Carolina doctor, three family members and a repairman before killing himself, who will pass the test of a degenerative disease.
York County coroner Sabrina Gast said Friday in a media statement that Adams’ family allowed him to take the exam as part of his autopsy. The exam will be conducted in conjunction with Boston University.
The autopsy will be an attempt to check for chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. The disease has been found in a number of former football players who suffered repeated brain injuries.
Gast did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
Authorities say Adams, 33, went to the home of a prominent doctor, Robert Lesslie, 70, on Wednesday afternoon. Police found Lesslie, along with his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, and their two grandchildren shot dead. James Lewis, an air conditioning technician working at home Wednesday, was also killed.
Adams was found dead shortly after midnight at his parents’ home with a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Lesslie reportedly had treated Adams. Police are still looking for a reason in the shooting.