NFL Star Taylor Dies After Gunshot

Washington Redskins safety, Sean Taylor was shot in his Miami home at approximately 1:45 A.M. Monday morning and was airlifted to a local hospital where he was in a critical condition.

The Pro Bowl safety had taken a bullet in his upper leg, reports the AP, damaging an artery, causing serious blood loss and loss of consciousness. According to his former lawyer, Richard Sharpstein, Taylor seemed to show signs of recovery when he squeezed a nurse’s hand late Monday night, but never regained consciousness thereafter.

The Miami Herald is reporting paramedics found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin. ABC-TV 10 in Miami says a family friend told them that Taylor was shot twice.

Taylor was later pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, this morning, a day after he was shot by an intruder at his home in Palmetto Bay.

Taylor’s girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, who was in the bedroom with Taylor when he was shot, could not be reached for comment.

Taylor’s father, Pedro Taylor, and his family issued a statement honoring Sean and saying funeral arrangements would be announced soon.

“It is with deep regret that a young man had to come to his end so soon,” Pedro Taylor’s statement said. “Many of his fans loved him because of the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him, the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him. I can only hope and pray that Sean’s life was not in vain, that it might touch others in a special way.”

The couple had their first baby, who is is also named Jackie, last year. The baby slept in a crib in the bedroom with her parents and did not wake up during the shooting.

Richard Sharpstein, Taylor’s attorney, called his death “a tragic, horrible, unnecessary death — another example of the incessant violence in this city and this country.”

“It’s still early in the investigation and homicide detectives are still working this case,” Miami-Dade police spokesman Robert Williams said Tuesday. “They’re seeking anyone that will be able to help us, anyone that might have seen or heard anything is urged to call Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS.”

The gunman remained on the loose.