A linebacker for the Chiefs shot his girlfriend and then himself at 8 a.m. this morning.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jovan Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs killed his 22-year-old girlfriend and then fatally shot himself in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot around 8 a.m. this morning, according to police.
At 7:50 a.m. Belcher, 25, a linebacker for the National Football League, shot his girlfriend. She was rushed to a medical facility where she died soon after.
Darin Snapp, the spokesman for Kansas City Police, said that an armed man, later identified as Belcher, arrived at the Arrowhead Stadium training facility twenty minutes later with a gun to his head.
He briefly spoke to the coach, general manager, and a few other staff members of the Chiefs before he walked toward the training facility and fatally shot himself, said Snapp.
Belcher was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Kansas City Police.
“The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today’s events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy,” said Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt in an official statement to the NFL. “We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted.”
The mother of Belcher’s girlfriend was present when she was shot and was the one who reported the shooting, according to the L.A. Times.
Belcher and his girlfriend have a 3-month-old son.
The Associate Press said that the game between the North Carolina Panthers and the Kansas City Chiefs will proceed as scheduled.
Photo credit: NFL.com, “Chiefs LB Involved in Murder-Suicide”