Travis Rudolph opened fire with a rifle against a group of four individuals who showed up at his home in response to a domestic dispute between the former Giants receiver and his girlfriend, witnesses testified to police, according to a probable affidavit published by WPTV.
Rudolph, who made eight catches as an unwritten rookie for the 2017 Giants, was arrested and charged with a first-degree homicide charge and three counts of attempted homicide Wednesday in Florida. Police found one person injured at the scene, taken to a local hospital in critical but stable condition, and another killed by multiple gunshot wounds in the passenger seat of a Cadillac who had fled the scene.
A woman at Rudolph’s home blasted that the incident was “self-defense” by investigators, but the former Florida state football star, the unidentified woman and another person refused to speak to police. and they invoked their right to a lawyer, according to the affidavit.
Rudolph and a woman who identified himself as his girlfriend had a physical altercation Tuesday night, according to the affidavit. Hours later, four people arrived at Rudolph’s house in a Cadillac and knocked on the door with what was later described to police as intent to speak. They were unarmed, a group member told police.
There was a fight and apparently a witness tried to break it. Rudolph, who was described as “immediately combative and confrontational,” entered his home, returned with a rifle and began firing as the others climbed into the car to flee, police said. Rudolph allegedly chased the car and continued firing.
A neighbor claimed to have witnessed the fight between Rudolph and his girlfriend and later heard gunshots and saw Rudolph returning home carrying a rifle, according to the report.
The affidavit mentions exterior security cameras of the property, but does not specify whether the cameras were functional or whether images were recovered.
The driver of the car fleeing the scene did not notice that one person was left behind, police said.