Was Taylor Another Athlete Who Was A Victim Of Black On Black Crime?
Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died a day after he was shot and wounded in his Miami home. Knowing how rabid and die-hard Redskins fans are, this has to be devastating for family in the DC area. The 24-year-old African American baller and father of a 1-year-old girl never regained consciousness after being taken to a hospital in what was clearly an orchestrated effort to take the brotha out.
"Sean was awakened with his girlfriend and 18-month old baby," said his former attorney Richard Sharpstein. There were "noises, thumps in the living room." Taylor "got up and locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything, the door was kicked in and two shots were fired -- one hit him in the leg, one went into the wall." Taylor "was on the floor, nonresponsive, bleeding out and chest heaving, eyes rolled back and he was pretty much gone from that point on," Sharpstein said.
Sharpstein told CNN that the 24-year-old football player was shot Monday during a home invasion and died later at a hospital. "The blood loss was too much. He didn't make it," Sharpstein told CNN. "He did supposedly squeeze a nurse's hand. I wasn't there," said Sharpstein. "But obviously that was either some kind of response or muscle reaction and not
He never regained consciousness after the shooting, Sharpstein said. "It's a senseless, tragic death that was so unnecessary, another example of the incessant violence in -- not only our community -- but the country now." Watch Sharpstein describe Taylor's death »
At 1:45 a.m. Monday, a woman identified as Taylor's girlfriend called 911 and said someone had been shot. Taylor was airlifted to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. Sharpstein said the NFL safety's girlfriend -- who said she was hiding under bedcovers during the attack -- has described the shooting to police. Taylor's girlfriend "tried to call 911 and it's unclear whether the phone lines were cut or the phone was broken or off or unplugged or turned off," said Sharpstein. "She had to use her cell."
"Sean was awakened with his girlfriend and 18-month old baby," said his former attorney Richard Sharpstein. There were "noises, thumps in the living room." Taylor "got up and locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything, the door was kicked in and two shots were fired -- one hit him in the leg, one went into the wall." Taylor "was on the floor, nonresponsive, bleeding out and chest heaving, eyes rolled back and he was pretty much gone from that point on," Sharpstein said.
Sharpstein told CNN that the 24-year-old football player was shot Monday during a home invasion and died later at a hospital. "The blood loss was too much. He didn't make it," Sharpstein told CNN. "He did supposedly squeeze a nurse's hand. I wasn't there," said Sharpstein. "But obviously that was either some kind of response or muscle reaction and not
He never regained consciousness after the shooting, Sharpstein said. "It's a senseless, tragic death that was so unnecessary, another example of the incessant violence in -- not only our community -- but the country now." Watch Sharpstein describe Taylor's death »
At 1:45 a.m. Monday, a woman identified as Taylor's girlfriend called 911 and said someone had been shot. Taylor was airlifted to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. Sharpstein said the NFL safety's girlfriend -- who said she was hiding under bedcovers during the attack -- has described the shooting to police. Taylor's girlfriend "tried to call 911 and it's unclear whether the phone lines were cut or the phone was broken or off or unplugged or turned off," said Sharpstein. "She had to use her cell."
"Whether this was a purposeful action in taking Sean's life or in shooting him or whether it was a burglary gone awry, the police are still investigating those circumstances," Sharpstein said. Taylor's home also was reported broken into eight days earlier on November 18, according to Miami-Dade police.Someone forced open a window and left a kitchen knife on a bed, according to the police report. Several drawers and a bedroom safe had been searched during the break-in, the report said. No one knows whether the first invasion is related to Monday's attack, Sharpstein said. According to the police report, Taylor's mother reported the break-in, saying it occurred while the house was empty between Saturday evening and Sunday evening. Police found a window pried open, but could not confirm if anything was missing.
Taylor was arrested in 2005 after he was accused of waiving a gun at people he believed were stealing his all-terrain vehicles, according to Sharpstein. "He got into fisticuffs, but no gun," Sharpstein said. After originally being charged with aggravated assault, Taylor pleaded to a misdemeanor battery in the case, Sharpstein said. A civil suit stemming from the case remains open. "There's still a lot of open ends to that," he said.
Taylor spent four years with the Redskins, but had been out with a sprained right knee.
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs called the incident a "tragedy" and said neither he nor the team had "experienced anything like this."
Taylor was a first-round pick in the 2004 draft. He played at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003, and was also a high school standout in the city, according to The Associated Press. His father, Pedro Taylor, is the police chief of Florida City, Florida, AP reports. Taylor was described as personable and smart and an emerging locker room leader, since the birth of his daughter Jackie, according to AP.
"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash told AP. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth." [Source]