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Home / Sport

NFL: 911 calls released for former NFL player Phillip Adams murder

NZ Herald
9 Apr, 2021 02:07 AM3 mins to read

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Phillip Adams. Photo / Getty

Phillip Adams. Photo / Getty

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Two disturbing 911 calls have revealed the moment former NFL player Phillip Adams opened gunfire and murdered a doctor and his family.

Adams, who played 78 NFL games over five seasons for six teams, opened gunfire on Dr Robert Lesslie, his wife and two young grandkids after breaking into their home.

The Sun reports that the York County Sheriff's Office confirmed Adams later killed himself in a bedroom in his parents' home with a .45 calibre weapon.

Police said operators received a call from one of the victims "screaming that he had been shot".

The second call which was released came from a witness who told 911 they thought there had been "a bad shooting".

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The York County coroner's office said the Lesslie and his wife, Barbara, were pronounced dead at the scene along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5.

Jack Logan, founder of Put Down the Guns Young People, places stuffed animals and flowers outside of Riverview Family Medicine and Urgent Care after the fatal shooting. Photo / Getty
Jack Logan, founder of Put Down the Guns Young People, places stuffed animals and flowers outside of Riverview Family Medicine and Urgent Care after the fatal shooting. Photo / Getty

A fifth victim, 38-year-old James Lewis, was found dead outside the property.

A York County Sheriff's Office's spokesperson added that a sixth person was hospitalised with "serious gunshot wounds." They are in critical condition.

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The Lesslie family have since released a statement, saying: "We are truly in the midst of the unimaginable.

"While we know there are no answers that will satisfy the question 'why,' we are sure of one thing: we do not grieve as those without hope.

They added that their "hearts are bent towards forgiveness and peace, toward love and connectedness, toward celebration and unity."

Speaking to WCNZ, Adams' dad Alonzo expressed shock.

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"He's a good kid, I think the football messed him up," he said.

"I don't think he ever did anybody any harm."

He also confirmed his son knew Lesslie and had been previously treated by him.

Adams played for the New England, Seattle, Oakland and the New York Jets before finishing his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.

In 2010, he suffered a severe ankle injury that required surgery that included several screws being inserted into the leg. He never played for the 49ers again, getting released just before the 2011 season when he signed with New England.

He moved next to the Raiders, where he had two concussions in a three-game period in 2012.

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WHERE TO GET HELP:
• Lifeline 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633
• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 (available 24/7)
• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or Text 4202
• If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111

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