A former member of NFL’s Atlanta Falcons is believed to be the gunman who killed a prominent South Carolina doctor and three of his family Wednesday before turning the gun on himself.
In a Thursday afternoon news conference, police said Phillip Adams, 33, shot and killed Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70; his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69; and two of their grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5, before shooting himself. The shootings took place at the Lesslie home.
“There’s nothing right now that makes sense to any of us, said York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Tolson said evidence left at the scene of the shooting led them to Adams as a suspect. He said they went to Adams’ parents’ home, evacuated them and then tried to talk Adams out of the house. Eventually, they found him dead of a single gunshot wound to the head in a bedroom, he said.
A man who had been working at the home, James Lewis, 38, of Gaston, South Carolina, was found shot to death outside, and a sixth person was hospitalized with “serious gunshot wounds,” York County Sheriff’s Office’s spokesperson Trent Faris said.
Anonymous sources are telling The Associated Press that Adams had been treated by Dr. Lesslie.
Adams was an NFL free agent who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. He played in 78 NFL games over five seasons.
As a rookie late in the 2010 season, Adams 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 began. Before being signed by the Falcons in 2015, he played with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. The Falcons were the last team to sign Adams.
Adams’ father said he believes “football messed him up.”
Update: The shooter's father has spoken to a @WCNC reporter, saying about his son:
— Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) April 8, 2021
"I think the football messed him up ... We pray for the family ... (Lesslie) used to be my doctor a long time ago, I know they were good folks ... we're going to keep them in our prayers."
President Joe Biden mentioned the incident in comments from the Rose Garden on Thursday, during which he announced a series of executive actions and orders he said are designed to reduce gun violence in the U.S.
Faris said deputies were called about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday to the Lesslies’ home and spent hours searching for the suspect before finding him in a nearby home.
“Dr. Lesslie was my doctor growing up,” Faris said. “Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows. He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill, and it’s been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”
A biography page of Dr. Lesslie said he and his wife of 35 years raised four children. He had been practicing medicine in Rock Hill since 1981, according to the Riverview website. He received his degree at the Medical University of South Carolina and has worked in the surrounding Rock Hill area and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Rock Hill is a city in northernmost South Carolina, about 25 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
