Phillip Adams, Former N.F.L. Player, Is Suspect in South Carolina Shooting

A physician, his spouse and two of their grandchildren have been fatally shot of their home in Rock Hill, S.C., late Wednesday, and a fifth particular person was discovered lifeless outdoors, the police mentioned

A neighbor of the household was discovered lifeless of a self-inflicted gunshot at a second house close by, after a standoff with the police, who had been serving a search warrant, the authorities mentioned.

The York County Coroner’s workplace on Thursday recognized him as Phillip Adams, 32. Mr. Adams was a former skilled soccer cornerback who was on the rosters of six groups over six seasons within the N.F.L.

The York County sheriff’s workplace, in a publish on Twitter, recognized 4 of the individuals killed as Dr. Robert Lesslie, his spouse, Barbara, and two of their grandchildren. The coroner recognized the kids as Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5. The web site of a medical workplace the place Dr. Lesslie, 70, labored mentioned that he and his spouse, 69, had eight grandchildren.

The fifth one that was fatally shot, James Lewis, 38, had been working on the house. He was discovered outdoors the house, the coroner mentioned. A sixth sufferer was taken to a hospital with severe gunshot wounds, in response to Trent Faris, a spokesman for the county sheriff.

Officer Faris advised reporters on Thursday that the police had been serving a search warrant on the house, however his workplace declined to offer different particulars or affirm the suspect’s identification. “There isn’t any lively risk to the group,” county officers mentioned in a press release on Fb.

A person who recognized himself as Mr. Adams’s father advised a tv station in Atlanta that his son had dedicated the killings, then had taken his personal life.

“I can say he’s a great child. He was a great child,” the person, Alonzo Adams, mentioned. “I feel the soccer messed him up. I don’t assume he ever did anyone any hurt.”

Alonzo Adams mentioned he knew Dr. Lesslie and had even been his affected person a “very long time in the past.”

“I do know they have been good of us down there,” he mentioned. “I don’t know what occurred or not. We’re going to maintain them in our prayers. You all hold us in your prayers.”

An individual who answered the telephone on the sheriff’s workplace on Thursday morning mentioned that no officers have been accessible to remark additional on the shootings. A information convention was scheduled for the afternoon.

A motive for the taking pictures was unknown. Officer Faris mentioned there was no proof of an confederate.

Officer Faris mentioned that Dr. Lesslie had been a distinguished doctor within the Rock Hill group and had began a neighborhood medical heart. He had practiced medication in Rock Hill, which is about 25 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C., since 1981 and was a specialist in emergency medication, in response to the medical workplace the place he labored.

The physician had additionally been an lively member of his church, a newspaper and journal columnist, and the creator of a number of nonfiction books about emergency medical employees.

“I view my medical profession as a chance to transcend merely diagnosing and treating particular person sufferers,” he wrote on his web site. “For me, it’s a method to fulfill a better calling by assembly the true bodily and emotional wants of sufferers.”

Mr. Adams was born in South Carolina and performed faculty soccer at South Carolina State College. A cornerback, he was drafted within the seventh spherical by the San Francisco 49ers in 2010. He performed all however one recreation his rookie season, then break up time between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in 2011. Adams spent the next two seasons with the Oakland Raiders. In 2012, he sustained two concussions inside a three-game interval.

Adams performed his final two seasons with the Jets and the Atlanta Falcons. Throughout his six-year profession, he appeared in 78 video games. He additionally was a punt returner, one of the harmful roles in soccer, in three of his six seasons.

It was not clear if Adams’ kin would have his mind despatched to researchers who may decide whether or not he had continual traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative mind illness related to repeated head trauma. It has been related to temper swings and outbursts.

The illness might be identified solely posthumously — a course of that always takes months — although analysis by scientists on the Boston College College of Medication has proven that reminiscence loss and bother focusing, following instructions and dealing with on a regular basis duties are extra helpful at predicting C.T.E. than conduct signs.

Rock Hill, with a inhabitants of 67,000, is a small metropolis the place everybody is aware of each other. Officer Faris mentioned Dr. Lesslie had been his childhood physician.

“It doesn’t occur right here,” he mentioned. “So it’s a type of unusual issues that lots of people are going to have a tough time understanding.”