KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 25-year-old Kansas City Chiefs player fatally shot his girlfriend early Saturday, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and turned the gun on himself and committed suicide as general manager Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel were confronting him, police said.
Kansas City police Supervisor Andrea Khan would not release the name of the player.
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(Police are investigating two deadly shootings Saturday morning that they said are related.The first shooting was reported about 8 a.m. at a home near East 54th Terrace and Crysler Avenue. The second shooting was reported a short time later at a Chiefs practice facility located on the Arrowhead facility.)
Police spokesman Darin Snapp said authorities received a call Saturday morning from a woman who said her daughter had been shot multiple times at a residence about five miles away from the Arrowhead complex. Snapp said a call was then received from the Chiefs’ practice facility.
Upon arriving, Snapp said that police witnessed a black male in a car with a handgun to his head talking to two Chiefs officials. That’s when police heard a gunshot.
Members of the Chiefs organization told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that some players noticed the shooter was troubled in his car, and went in the facility and told someone, before Pioli and Crennel called police and went outside to talk to him. The player then killed himself in front of them.
Snapp said that before turning the gun on himself, the player thanked Pioli and Crennel for all they had done for him.
Arrowhead Stadium has been locked down since about 8 a.m. local time.
“We can confirm that there was an incident at Arrowhead earlier this morning,” the Chiefs said in a statement. “We are cooperating with authorities in their investigation.”
The Chiefs, expected to contend for the AFC West title entering the season, are 1-10 and mired in an eight-game losing streak.
Kansas City is scheduled to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The NFL has told the Panthers to travel as planned to Kansas City on Saturday, the Charlotte Observer has reported, citing interim general manager Brandon Beane.
The Chiefs have been ravaged by injuries, lead the league in turnovers, can’t settle on a quarterback and are dealing with a full-fledged fan rebellion.
The Twitter account for a fan group known as “Save Our Chiefs” recently surpassed 80,000 followers, about 17,000 more than the announced crowd at a recent game.
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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
