The identity of a gunman who killed five people in South Carolina and then himself has been revealed. According to the Associated Press, former NFL cornerback Phillip Adams shot and killed five people, including a prominent doctor. A source told the Associated Press that the doctor had treated Adams. Adams killed himself after midnight with a .45-caliber weapon after midnight on Thursday. He was 32 years old.
According to the York County coroner’s office, Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, were pronounced dead on the scene and grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5. A man who had been working on the home, James Lewis, 38, was found shot to death outside, and a sixth person was sent to the hospital with “serious gunshot wounds.” York County Sheriff’s Office’s spokesperson Trent Faris said officers were called around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday to the home and spent hours searching for the suspect.
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Officers found the suspect in a nearby home. “We have found the person we believe is responsible and we are with him at this time, and that’s all I can say about the suspect,” Faris said, adding that they had no reason to believe anyone else was involved. “We are currently at his house and we are serving a search warrant.”
Robert Lesslie worked as an emergency room physician in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He founded two urgent care centers in the area and wrote a weekly medical column for The Charlotte Observer. “Dr. Lesslie was my doctor growing up,” Faris said. “Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows. He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill, and it’s been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”
The San Francisco 49ers selected Adams in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He spent one season with the 49ers before signing with the New England Patriots in 2011. He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks that season before joining the Oakland Raiders in 2012. Adams would spend two seasons in Oakland before signing with the New York Jets in 2014. He then played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and finished his career with 128 tackles, five interceptions and 15 passes defended in 78 games.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.
