The alleged gunman in a mass shooting that killed five people in South Carolina – including a doctor and two of his grandchildren – was former NFL player Phillip Adams, a source close to the investigation told the Associated Press on Thursday.
Adams, 32, committed suicide with a .45-caliber gun early Thursday, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly.
Adams, a former defensive back, last played in 2015 for the Atlanta Falcons. He also spent seasons with the San Francisco, Oakland and New York Jets, as well as brief stays in New England and Seattle, according to a professional football reference website.
During his NFL career, he suffered multiple injuries, including concussions and a broken left ankle, the Associated Press reported.
Adams, a Rock Hill native, attended South Carolina State University and was drafted by San Francisco in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played 78 games in his six-year career.
Her parents live near the Rock Hill home of Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and had been treated by the doctor.
Hours before his life was killed, investigators say Adams shot six people, killing five, including Lesslie and Lesslie’s wife, Barbara, 69, and two of his grandchildren, Adah Lesslie, 9 years and Noah Lesslie, 5 years.
A fifth victim, James Lewis, 38, who was working at home at the time, was also shot dead. A sixth person, who was not immediately identified, was hospitalized with a serious gunshot wound, authorities said.
The sixth victim was also a maintenance worker at Lesslie’s home, sources close to the matter told The Herald.