At least eight people have been shot, one fatally, in Chicago since 5 p.m. April 10, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file photo
A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday in the 200 block of West 37th Street.
One person has been killed and seven others wounded in shootings across Chicago so far this weekend.
The weekend’s lone fatal shooting left a 17-year-old boy dead Friday night in Bridgeport on the South Side.
The teen and two others were sitting in a parked vehicle about 9:45 p.m. in the 200 block of West 37th Street when a black Dodge Durango pulled up and two men exited and began shooting at them, Chicago police said.
Davion Ward, 17, was struck in the back and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the head, and the other person, a man between 18 and 20 years old, was struck in the chest, police said. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.
The boy, 15, was shot in the lower leg about 5:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Kostner Avenue, Chicago police said. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in good condition.
Earlier Saturday morning, a man was shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side.
The 34-year-old was standing outside about 4 a.m. in the 100 block of East 119th Street when someone inside a red-colored vehicle fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck five times and taken to Roseland Hospital, where he was stabilized.
After months of virtual brain training and preparation, students from three local universities are testing their knowledge and wit this weekend at a national collegiate quiz bowl deemed the “Super Bowl of the mind.”
Northwestern, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois all sent teams to compete at the 2021 National Academic Quiz Tournaments’ Intercollegiate Championship Tournament Saturday, which returned this year — albeit online — after organizers had to cancel the 2020 event due the pandemic.
Thirty-one Division I teams and 32 Division II squads were slated to go head-to-head with one another in a bracket format comparable to college basketball’s March Madness.
The game’s concept is simple, but the questions are complex. Teams of four students race to be the first to correctly answer questions spanning from a wide range of subjects, from sports and pop culture to classic literature and biology.
UChicago, Illinois and Northwestern have the chance to excel in Saturday’s tournament, though the Hyde Park school definitely came in with the upper-hand in terms of experience.
The U. of C. is a quiz bowl powerhouse and has attended the academic competition every year since 2007. It has won an astounding 12 NAQT titles, including 10 since the turn of the century. Most recently, the University of Chicago won the 2018 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament Division II event.
Meanwhile, Illinois has won two NAQT national titles, though the most recent one was more than 15 years ago. And Northwestern has yet to win any. though team president Justin Jasperse said he was hoping to end the program’s drought and establish Northwestern as a place talented quiz bowlers want to go to.
Northwestern team president Justin Jasperse said there’s “definitely a rivalry” between the Illinois universities. He said matches between the state programs are usually the “most intense” of the season and are the ones his squad preps most for.
“We’ve actually been able to place higher than them in the past,” said Jasperse, a third-year Northwestern student majoring in philosophy. “Historically they have done a better game. So when we face them it’s a big rivalry.”
“Every Friday, we do something like watch a movie, or play a game — we do something that isn’t quiz bowl, but might be like trivia,” said Jasperse, who’s competed in at least five collegiate quiz bowls. “We do a lot of things just to bond as a team that’s been kind of a return to normalcy.”
In honor of the quiz bowl, test your knowledge with these sample questions (answers listed below):
1. In this film, a judge relates how the people of Athens once opened their gates to a tyrant they had previously banished. This film’s characters include Harvey Pell, who gives up his deputy’s badge after being passed over for a promotion. Toward the end of this film, Amy Fowler — who is played by Grace Kelly — shoots a man in his back, despite the pacifism of her Quaker religion.
For 10 points–name this Western in which outlaw Frank Miller is faced by Gary Cooper’s Will Kane at the title time.
2. In 2017, a leader of this party blamed his then-girlfriend for citing Holocaust denier David Irving in an undergraduate paper in 1999. In 2017, this party unveiled a logo consisting of a lion and the phrase “for the nation” in its colors of purple and yellow. Henry Bolton won a 2017 leadership election for this party, whose 2017 general election results faltered a year after it was the largest party to support the “leave” option.
For 10 points — what Eurosceptic party was once led by Nigel Farage?
3a-c. This state backed the peasant revolt of Ivaylo the Cabbage against Michael VIII Palaeologus.
For 10 points each:
A. Name this Mongol khanate that ruled Russia in the medieval era.
B. In the late 14th century, this khan briefly reunited the Blue and White factions of the Golden Horde, before he was deposed by Tamerlane.
C. In the late 15th century, the power of the Golden Horde largely disintegrated following the Great Stand on the Ugra River, where the horde refused to engage this Grand Prince of Moscow.
4. A man with this position asks Seth Wright to work for him after going into a bathroom to vomit. Another man with this position murders Verna Thornton in the hospital after learning about the Defiance conspiracy. On one TV series, this position is held by Mellie, the ex-wife of a man who also held it and who had an affair with Olivia Pope.
For 10 points — what position, which was held by Fitz Grant on the show Scandal, is held by former Cabinet member Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor?
5a-c. A contemporary review of this 1849 novel opined that its author “will never have the power of a Cringle, or the sustained humour and vivacity of a Marryat.”
For 10 points each:
A. Identify this work about the adventures of a man whose first name is Wellingborough. It ends with the narrator hearing about the death of his friend Harry Bolton while whaling.
B. Two years after publishing Redburn, this author published Moby-Dick.
C. In chapter 27 of Redburn, the title character “at last arrives” in this British city. In 1856 Melville visited this city, where Nathaniel Hawthorne served as an American consul.
Answers:
1. High Noon
2. UK Independence Party (or UKIP)
3a. Golden Horde (or Zolotaya Orda or Kipchak Khanate; prompt on partial answer)
3b. Tokhtamysh
3c. Ivan III (or Ivan the Great; prompt on “Ivan”)
Chicago Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden (11) prepares to kick the ball during an NWSL Challenge Cup soccer match, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Houston. | Matt Patterson/AP
Gorden said her and her boyfriend, who are Black, were harassed by a security guard at BBVA Stadium in Houston after he tried to speak with her near the field following the opening match.
The National Women’s Soccer League has opened an investigation into claims that Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden and her boyfriend were racially profiled after the opening match of the Challenge Cup tournament, the league told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday.
In a Twitter thread published Saturday morning, Gorden said she and her boyfriend, who are Black, were harassed by a security guard at BBVA Stadium in Houston when her boyfriend tried to speak with her near the field after the Red Stars’ scoreless draw against the Houston Dash.
Gorden also said security threatened to arrest her boyfriend if he came closer to the pitch.
“My boyfriend came to our game against the Houston Dash. After the game he came down the steps to talk to me. We were immediately (before he was close to me) followed by security and told he would be arrested if he came close,” Gorden tweeted. “Meanwhile white players were talking to white family [sic] all over the stadium.”
Gorden said she didn’t think the security guard’s threat was racially motivated until she saw white players with their families.
“At first I didn’t realize this was a racial issue until I saw white Houston Dash players surrounding the stadium talking closely to their family and we were the only ones targeted,” Gordon continued.
In her final tweet, Gorden said: “This is just another reason why we kneel.”
At first I didn’t realize this was a racial issue until I saw white @HoustonDash players surrounding the stadium talking closely to their family and we were the only ones targeted
The Dash issued a statement Saturday afternoon that said staff was focused on preventing violations of the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
Gorden didn’t immediately return the Sun-Times’ request for comment. The NWSL said it saw Gorden’s Twitter thread and was looking into the allegations.
“Racial profiling and discrimination have no place in this league, and we are investigating the matter according to league process,” the league said in a statement.
The Red Stars said they’ve been in communication with the Dash about the matter.
“The Chicago Red Stars have been in touch with Houston Dash and the league to understand what occurred. We are awaiting a statement from Houston on the matter,” the Red Stars said in a statement.
Gorden, a member of the Black Women’s Player Collective, which was announced in October, has used her platform to be a fierce activist for social justice and the fight against systemic racism. She launched a nonprofit, HoodSpace, in 2020 that’s focused on young Black women finding space through meditation, yoga and sport while prioritizing mental health.
Last summer, in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, players wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts and knelt during the national anthem, but not all league members continued to participate in the gesture as the Challenge Cup progressed.
One of the league’s community initiatives during the tournament last year was establishing the Verizon Community Shield award. More recently, the league announced Nationwide as an official league partner, and part of that sponsorship includes expanding the league’s community initiatives. Additionally, an inaugural community impact award was announced as part of that multiyear sponsorship deal.
Prince Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral will take place April 17 at Windsor Castle — a slimmed-down service amid the COVID-19 pandemic that will be entirely closed to the public.
LONDON — Prince Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral will take place April 17 at Windsor Castle — a slimmed-down service amid the COVID-19 pandemic that will be entirely closed to the public.
Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, took part in planning his funeral and its focus on family was in accordance with his wishes. The 99-year-old duke, who died Friday, also took part in designing the modified Land Rover that will carry his coffin.
“Although the ceremonial arrangements are reduced, the occasion will still celebrate and recognize the duke’s life and his more than 70 years of service to the Queen, the UK and the Commonwealth,” a palace spokesman said Saturday while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with policy.
Prince Harry, Philip’s grandson who stepped away from royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service along with other members of the royal family. His wife, the duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant, has been advised by her doctor not to attend.
Palace officials said the ceremony would be conducted strictly in line with the British government’s COVID-19 guidelines, which restrict the number of people attending funerals to 30. They declined to say whether the royal family would be required to wear masks.
The palace appealed to the public not to gather in Windsor, and for those who wished to pay their respects to Philips to stay at home instead.
Frank Augstein/APPeople view flower tributes at Cambridge Gate, at Windsor Castle, one day after the death of Britain’s Prince Philip, in Windsor, England, Saturday, April 10, 2021.
“While there is sadness that the public will not be able to physically be part of events to commemorate the life of the duke, the royal family asks that anyone wishing to express their condolences do so in the safest way possible and not by visiting Windsor or any other royal palaces to pay their respects,’’ the palace spokesman said. “The family’s wish is very much that people continue to follow the guidelines to keep themselves and others safe.’’
The announcement comes after military teams across the U.K. and on ships at sea fired 41-gun salutes Saturday to mark the death of Philip, honoring the former naval officer and husband of Queen Elizabeth II whom they considered one of their own.
Batteries in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast — the capitals of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom — as well as other cities around the U.K. and the Mediterranean outpost of Gibraltar fired the volleys at one-minute intervals beginning at midday. Ships including the HMS Montrose, a frigate patrolling the Persian Gulf, offered their own salutes.
“The Duke of Edinburgh served among us during the Second World War, and he remained devoted to the Royal Navy and the Armed Forces as a whole,” Gen. Nick Carter, chief of the defense staff, said in a statement. “A life well-lived. His Royal Highness leaves us with a legacy of indomitable spirit, steadfastness and an unshakeable sense of duty.”
Members of the Commonwealth, a group of 54 countries headed by the monarch, were also invited to honor Philip. The Australian Defense Force began its salute at 5 p.m. local time outside Parliament House in Canberra, and New Zealand planned to offer its own tribute on Sunday.
Philip joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 and once had a promising military career. In 1941, he was honored for his service during the battle of Cape Matapan off the coast of Greece, when his control of searchlights aboard the HMS Valiant allowed the battleship to pinpoint enemy vessels in the dark. Philip rose to the rank of commander before he retired from active duty.
Two years after the war ended, Philip married Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey when she was 21 and he was 26. Philip’s naval career came to an abrupt end when King George VI died in 1952 and his wife became queen.
At the queen’s coronation in 1953, Philip swore to be his wife’s “liege man of life and limb” and settled into a life supporting the monarch. The couple had four children — Charles, the heir to the throne, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
Before he retired from official duties in 2017, the prince carried out more than 22,000 solo public engagements and supported over 780 organizations, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for young people.
Members of the public continued to honor Philip’s life of service on Saturday, leaving flowers outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle despite appeals from authorities and the royal family to refrain from gathering.
“I think everyone would like to pay their respects,” Maureen Field, 67, said outside Windsor Castle. “Because of the virus, a lot of people have to stay away. He didn’t want a big funeral. He wanted a very private time with his family to say their goodbyes. So, we’ve all got to respect that.”
Mike Williams, 50, traveled from his home in Surrey, southwest of London, to Buckingham Palace to honor the prince.
“He’s a massive loss to the country and to the world, I think, so we wanted to come and pay respects,” Williams said. “I don’t know what it achieves, but it just felt like the right thing to do.”
Associated Press Writer James Brooks and Tom Rayner contributed.
A 1-year-old boy who was shot Tuesday on Lake Shore Drive has been removed from a medically induced coma, but remained on a ventilator Saturday.
Doctors at Lurie Children’s Hospital said Kayden Swann “continues to demonstrate positive improvements,” though he is still in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit.
While he’s still on a ventilator to “assist with his breathing and other critical therapies,” doctors deemed it safe to remove him from the coma, according to a statement from Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, medical director of the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.
Swann was shot about 11 a.m. April 6 on Lake Shore Drive near Grant Park after a road-rage dispute turned violent, police said.
Prosecutors said the altercation started when an SUV tried to merge onto Lake Shore Drive near Soldier Field and nearly struck the car Swann was riding in.
Jushawn Brown, a 43-year-old man in a relationship with Swann’s grandmother, was behind the wheel of Swann’s car and got into a verbal dispute with the SUV driver, which escalated when both men pulled out guns, prosecutors said.
Brown eventually drove away but the SUV driver still fired shots at the car, one of which pierced the rear passenger window and struck Swann in the head.
Brown was slapped with felony gun charges in connection with the incident and released on $5,000 bail.
If your response to the above headline was No way or Bullshit or Dude, what are you smoking? give yourself a gold star.
If it sounds reasonable to you, then you should probably get back to your recorded collection of Jeanine Pirro’s most hysterical rants.
Many of us have seen an episode or two of Deadliest Catch, a series about crab fishing in the Arctic Ocean, so we know that it’s a dangerous business.
The thing is, there’s only about 58,000 people employed in America’s fishing industry, so 360,000 deaths would be a pretty bad year for them.
The actual number of commercial fishermen dying each year is about 42, making that 360,000 number not just an exaggeration, but a delusion.
What if I told you that 500,000 Americans die on our streets, roads and highways each year? Does that sound reasonable?
The actual number of automobile deaths in America has averaged around 38,000 annually for the last 20 years. No doubt that number would be higher without seat belts, airbags and other safety features introduced during that time, but it’s nowhere near 500,000.
Outlandish and improbable numbers like those above highlight a very real problem in our society that does not bode well for things to come.
Some of us – A LOT OF US – are tuned into a “reality” that simply does not exist.
So committed are these folks to their version of the world around them and the onslaught of misinformation they consume from those willing to pervert and subvert truth that it is all but ordained to destroy American democracy.
Nutty Nancy, the woman spewing the aforementioned delusional statistics at me was doing so in an effort to delegitimize the threat of COVID-19, a popular – and dangerous – obsession within the Fox bubble.
Nancy likened COVID-19 to the flu, a virus which generally kills about 20,000 people a year, a far cry from the current COVID-19 death toll of 565,000.
During the approximately 7 minutes I endured Nancy’s blathering, she rattled off what sounded like a medley of Tucker Carlson at his most bizarre.
She started with an incoherent charge against Vail Resorts, but lamented that she couldn’t write them a letter because they wouldn’t sell her a ski pass next season.
Vail Resorts operates 37 ski resorts worldwide and sells over 800,000 season passes each year, probably hosting a couple million skiers total.
Nancy’s letter would not have made it past the circular file and Vail Resorts would gladly take her money for a season pass.
She also claimed that the Vail Daily was too far Left to print her gibberish, a claim which is dubious, at best. Within 45 seconds, Nancy revealed herself to be both far-Right leaning and paranoid, two things that seem to coexist in perfect harmony.
Among other things, Nancy also claimed that COVID-19 was not airborne and that it’s not even a real pandemic.
Proving that cuckoo birds of a feather really do flock together, the gentleman accompanying Nutty Nancy blamed the spread of COVID-9 on the government and its management of convalescent homes.
A significant slice of our population is tuned into an alternate universe. A universe where a world renowned virologist is the enemy and a failed businessman turned reality TV show host is the only believable voice.
A universe where science is a hoax, the Constitution doesn’t exist and laws do not apply.
In that universe, Democrats are not just the opposition party, they are the enemy. They are out to destroy America, which is ironic considering the damage that Donald Trump has been able to inflict on our country in just four short years.
Nutty Nancy’s inability to recognize statistics that are grossly out of the range of possibility is amusing. After all, she’s just one misguided individual.
The problem – and the threat to America – is that Nancy represents millions of Americans who vote and believe the unbelievable.
They believe the Big Lie. They believe that Donald Trump knows more about everything than people who’ve spent their lives dedicated to their respective fields and to the furtherance of mankind.
They believe that Democrats – Liberals, socialists, communists, antifa, etc – are their mortal enemies and will accept anything to defeat them, whether it’s Fascism, racism, Nazism, authoritarianism…or Donald Trump.
Several government agencies have determined that the greatest long term threat to America’s security is climate change.
It’s time to add climate change deniers to that list. If the name Rupert Murdoch comes to mind, stay tuned.
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Bob “RJ” Abrams is a political junkie, all-around malcontent and supporter of America’s warriors. After a career path that took him from merchandising at rock concerts to managing rock bands to a 27-year stint in the pits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, he’s seen our nation from up and down.
As Regional Coordinator of the Warriors’ Watch Riders (a motorcycle support group for the military and their families) Bob plays an active role in our nation’s support of America’s warriors and their families.
Send comments and/or suggestions to [email protected]
A memorial for 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was killed by police, is seen in this photo near West 24th Street and South Sawyer Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood last weekend. A man who was with Adam at the time of the shooting is facing felony gun charges. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Police said Roman was standing with Toledo early March 29 in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue when officers responded to reports of gunfire and chased them down an alley.
A 21-year-old man who was outside with Adam Toledo when the 13-year-old was fatally shot by Chicago police nearly two weeks ago is expected in court Saturday on felony gun charges.
Ruben Roman was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, Cook County court records show.
Police said Roman was standing with Adam early March 29 in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue when officers responded to reports of gunfire and chased them down an alley.
An officer fired shots during an “armed confrontation” and struck Adam in the chest, killing him.
Roman has already been charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. He was released on his own recognizance and slated for a May court date on that charge.
Roman is due in bond court on the felony charges Saturday afternoon.
Adam’s funeral was held Friday.
Chicago police leaders have canceled days off for officers next week as they prepare for possible demonstrations. The Toledo family will be shown police video of the shooting before it is released publicly, officials have said.
Lemont’s Albert Kunickis completing drills in practice. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times
Kunickis, a 6-3 210-pound junior, was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow.
Albert Kunickis’ favorite football player is recently retired Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
What about the future Hall of Famer resonates with the Lemont junior?
“I like how he’s 5-10, 5-11, everyone doubted him his whole career,” Kunickis said, “‘Oh, you’re too short to play quarterback.’ He overcame that and he’s obviously one of the greatest passers in NFL history.”
Kunickis, who is a starting running back and kicker for the Indians, also faced skeptics when he started playing youth football seven years ago. Coincidentally, he was inspired to do so after watching a typically dazzling performance by Brees.
Then, opposing players were hard on Kunickis, who was like them except for one thing: he was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow.
“They called me names, teased me for it,” Kunickis said. “They tried to get under my skin. (But) it wouldn’t bother me. Just kind of laughed it off.
“Me and my brother would always pick on each other, so we’re used to it.”
Kunckis’ family and teammates never saw him as limited in any way.
“It’s amazing to see him do everything,” said Kunickis’ father, also named Albert. “He always wants to be the best. … He works hard and has to prove himself.”
Lemont coach Bret Kooi is one of the people Kunickis has won over.
“I’m one of those old-time guys,” Kooi said. “I thought, ’Somebody’s going to try to take advantage of that.’ He’s done nothing but prove me wrong.”
Teammate Jason Berger, a senior cornerback, has seen his friend develop into one of the Indians’ best players.
Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-TimesLemont’s Albert Kunickis completing drills in practice.
“His work ethic is definitely incredible,” Berger said. “We don’t treat him any differently. He wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Berger said opponents “probably underestimate” Kunickis, something that he never does when the team is scrimmaging.
“When I’m in practice and he’s coming full speed at me, it’s a little scary,” Berger said, “He’s a big kid.”
Indeed. Kunickis took advantage of the extended pandemic break to add around 20 pounds and he’s now 6-3, 210.
He also worked on becoming a more versatile player.
“I struggled catching (a football) earlier,” Kunickis said. “And my speed — I worked on that countless hours with my dad.”
The mechanics of catching a pass have become second nature now.
“I usually use my chest as an advantage,” he said. “I used to catch it and bring my knee up (to cradle the ball). I don’t do that anymore obviously. I think my hand is bigger (too).”
Kunickis also has a big leg. He’s kicked 55-yard field goals in practice and just missed from 60.
But it’s his size and physicality as a back that makes him a candidate to play football after high school.
“A hundred percent, I feel I can get there if I keep working,” he said.
And he can be an inspiration for others.
“Kids see me, I perform well, they think, ‘Oh, I can do anything I want to do with two hands if this kid can do it with one hand,’” he said.
At least 7 people have been shot, 1 fatally, in Chicago since 5 p.m. April 10, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file photo
A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday in the 200 block of West 37th Street.
One person has been killed and six others wounded in shootings across Chicago so far this weekend.
The weekend’s lone fatal shooting left a 17-year-old boy dead Friday night in Bridgeport on the South Side.
The teen and two others were sitting in a parked vehicle about 9:45 p.m. in the 200 block of West 37th Street when a black Dodge Durango pulled up and two men exited and began shooting at them, Chicago police said.
Davion Ward, 17, was struck in the back and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the head, and the other person, a man between 18 and 20 years old, was struck in the chest, police said. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.
The boy, 15, was shot in the lower leg about 5:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Kostner Avenue, Chicago police said. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in good condition.
Earlier Saturday morning, a man was shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side.
The 34-year-old was standing outside about 4 a.m. in the 100 block of East 119th Street when someone inside a red-colored vehicle fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck five times and taken to Roseland Hospital, where he was stabilized.
Also Saturday morning, a 48-year old man was hurt in a drive-by shooting in Humboldt Park on the West Side.
The man was standing outside about 12:50 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Avers Avenue when someone inside a passing white Jeep fired shots, police said. He was struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
The autopsy of former NFL player Phillip Adams, who killed five people before taking his own life, will look for evidence of CTE. | Paul Sakuma/AP
The brain of Phillip Adams — the former NFL player who killed five people before shooting himself — will be tested for a degenerative disease that has affected a number of pro athletes and has been shown to cause violent mood swings, a coroner said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The brain of Phillip Adams — the former NFL player who killed a South Carolina physician, three family members and a repairman before fatally shooting himself — will be tested for a degenerative disease that has affected a number of pro athletes and has been shown to cause violent mood swings and other cognitive disorders, according to the local coroner.
York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said in a statement issued on Friday that she had gotten approval from Adams’ family for the procedure to be included as part of his autopsy, which will be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina. The hospital will be working with Boston University, whose chronic traumatic encephalopathy center conducts research on the long-term effects of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and military personnel, according to its website.
According to police, Adams went to the home of Robert and Barbara Lesslie on Wednesday and shot and killed them, two of their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie, and James Lewis, a 38-year-old air conditioning technician from Gaston who was doing work there. He also shot Lewis’ colleague, 38-year-old Robert Shook, of Cherryville, North Carolina, who was flown to a Charlotte hospital, where he was in critical condition “fighting hard for his life,” said a cousin, Heather Smith Thompson.
York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said investigators hadn’t figured out why Adams carried out the attack.
Tolson said evidence left at the shooting scene led investigators to Adams as a suspect. He said they went to Adams’ parents’ home, evacuated them and then tried to persuade Adams to come out. Eventually, they found him dead of a single gunshot wound to the head in a bedroom, he said.
A person briefed on the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly said Robert Lesslie had treated Adams, who lived with his parents not far from the Lesslies’ home.
Tolson would not confirm that Adams had been the doctor’s patient.
It will be months before results are available from the tests for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which can only be diagnosed in an autopsy. The disorder has been found in former members of the military, football players and boxers and others who have been subjected to repeated head trauma. A recent study found signs of the disease in 110 of 111 NFL players whose brains were inspected.
Several years ago, the league agreed to pay $1 billion to retired players who claimed it misled them about the dangers of playing football.
Adams, 32, played in 78 NFL games over six seasons for six teams. He joined the 49ers in 2010 as a seventh-round draft pick out of South Carolina State, and though he rarely started, he went on to play for New England, Seattle, Oakland and the New York Jets before finishing his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
As a rookie late in the 2010 season, Adams suffered a severe ankle injury, resulting in surgery that included several screws being inserted into his leg. He never played for the 49ers again, released just before the 2011 season began. Later, with the Raiders, he had two concussions over three games in 2012.
Whether he suffered long-lasting concussion-related injuries wasn’t immediately clear. Adams wouldn’t have been eligible for testing as part of a broad settlement between the league and its former players over such injuries, because he hadn’t retired by 2014.
Adams’ father told a Charlotte television station that he blamed football for problems his son had, and which might have led him to commit Wednesday’s violence.
“I can say he’s a good kid — he was a good kid, and I think the football messed him up,” Alonzo Adams told WCNC-TV. “He didn’t talk much and he didn’t bother nobody.”
Adams’ sister told USA Today that her brother’s “mental health degraded fast and terribly bad” in recent years and that the family noticed “extremely concerning” signs of mental illness, including an escalating temper and personal hygiene neglect.
In a statement to McClatchy Newspapers, Adams’ parents and siblings sent their condolences to the Lesslie, Lewis and Shook families, saying, “The Phillip we know is not a man that is capable of the atrocities he committed on Wednesday.”
The relatives went on to say that they didn’t know “if football played a role” in the violence, but “we do know there has to be some catalyst.”
Gerald Dixon, a former NFL linebacker who retired in 2001, said that, when he coached Adams in high school, the young player was a team leader, yet also mild-mannered and humble.
Dixon added that he had spoken to Adams a few months ago, and had noticed no signs of depression or other mental health issues. “Anytime I talked to him, he was always happy and just reminiscing about old things,” he said.
Dixon acknowledged that the repeated hits to the head sustained in the game could have affected Adams, as they have negatively affected many of the other NFL players Dixon has known who were later diagnosed with CTE.
“You never know what’s going on in a person’s mind after they’ve went through these concussions,” Dixon said.
Agent Scott Casterline told The Associated Press that Adams did not participate in the physical and mental health programs that are easily accessible for ex-players.
“We encouraged him to explore all of his disability options and he wouldn’t do it,” Casterline said, noting that Adams’ career was undercut by the 2010 ankle injury. “I knew he was hurting and missing football but he wouldn’t take health tips offered to him. He said he would, but he wouldn’t.”
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