Washington Redskin's All-pro Safety is in Critical Condition

[Bazooka Joe71]

Here is the link.

Redskins’ Taylor Is Seriously Injured in Shooting
The shooting occurred about 1:45 a.m. while Mr. Taylor, a Miami native in his fourth season as a free safety for the Redskins, was in his home in Palmetto Bay, an upscale section of Miami, said Kathy Webb, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade police. Mr. Taylor appeared to be the victim of an attempted robbery, police officials said.

He was flown by helicopter to a trauma center at Jackson Memorial hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed in critical condition, the police said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Mr. Taylor’s father, Pedro W. Taylor, requested that details of his condition not be released. But several local television stations have reported that Mr. Taylor was hit by at least one bullet in his femoral artery — a major blood vessel in the thigh — and is currently in “extremely critical condition.” The senior Taylor is police chief of Florida City, Fla., a small city in Miami-Dade County.

In an interview that was televised this afternoon on WUSA, a Virginia television station, Clinton Portis, a Redskins running back and teammate of Mr. Taylor’s in college, said Mr. Taylor was in grave condition.

“I’ve been told he lost a lot of blood, and he’s fighting to hang on,” Mr. Portis said. “So pray for him, and hopefully he keeps fighting.”

Sean Taylor was a star football player at the University of Miami — earning the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year award — and was selected fifth over all in the 2004 National Football League draft by the Redskins.

The team signed him to a seven-year, $18 million contract, and he is widely considered one of the toughest and best young safeties in the league. Although sidelined for the last two weeks because of a knee sprain, he leads his team this season with five interceptions.

Mr. Taylor has drawn attention for more than his playing ability, most notably in 2005. In June of that year, he was arrested and charged with felony assault after the authorities said he pointed a gun at three men outside a house in West Perrine, a rough neighborhood south of Miami, and accused them of stealing two all-terrain vehicles from him.

According to the police and witnesses, Mr. Taylor, accompanied by an entourage, assaulted one of the men and made death threats before driving off. Minutes later, a group of men drove by his parked GMC Yukon Denali and sprayed it with bullets from an AK-47 and a pistol. Mr. Taylor’s vehicle was empty at the time, and the gunmen were never identified or arrested.

Prosecutors negotiated a plea deal with Mr. Taylor and agreed to drop the felony assault charges. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation in return and pledged to donate time and money to various charities and schools in southern Florida.

On the field, Mr. Taylor has earned a reputation for angry outbursts. In 2004, during his rookie season, he was accused of spitting on Cincinnati Bengals player T.J. Houshmandzadeh during a confrontation after a Redskins home game. The league investigated the accusation but did not issue any fines because there was no video evidence.

The following season, however, Mr. Taylor was accused of spitting on yet another player from an opposing team, this time Michael Pittman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during the first round of the playoffs. He was ejected from the game and fined $17,000. It was an unfitting end to what should have been a triumphant day for Mr. Taylor, who scored a touchdown that helped propel the Redskins to a 17-10 victory and a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

Kirk Semple reported from Miami, and Anahad O’Connor from New York.

It didn't say anything about a shootout, so I guess Taylor was unarmed...I don't know if he's legally able to own a gun anymore.

He's a punk, it probably wasn't a robbery but some other thug coming over to settle a previous dispute. Everytime I turn around he's spitting on somebody.

 

[MDHunter]

Welcome to the High Road, Bazooka...

...that sure is a High Road assumption you made. How about wishing the guy recovers, and waiting for some facts before jumping to conclusions?

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

You know what MD, you are totally right...I should wait until the facts come out, and of course I hope that he fully recovers...and if this does have something to do with a previous dispute, it's a wake up call for him to make better decisions.

But like I said before, I'm a big NFL fan and have seen this guy's childish and criminal antics for quite some time now, but I was probably in the wrong for assuming he's guilty by association.

 

[scbair]

I just heard that he passed away. Very sad. According to Fox News, he and his girlfriend awoke and heard a noise, and he "grabbed a machete" and confronted whoever was in the house. The intuder shot him in the groin area, striking the femoral artery. Given his previously alleged use of a handgun, it strikes me as odd the best he could reach in his own home was a machete (unless he was, in fact, barred from firearm ownership due to criminal history).

The reporter also commented he seemed to have recently "turned his life around," but (as I'm not an avid football fan) I have no idea of what that comment referred to.

Condolences to his family & friends.

Forgive me if this final comment is very high road, but given some past anti-gun comments of the leaders of some of the professional athletic groups (NBA?, Can't recall for sure), at least the NFL can take pride that he died without having a firearm at hand (for whatever reason).

 

[geronimotwo]

Redskins safety Sean Taylor dies one day after being shot in the leg

my condolences to the family.


November 27, 2007

AP - Nov 27, 6:31 am EST
More Photos



MIAMI (AP) -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died, a day after he was shot at home. He was 24.

Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor's father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

He said he did not know exactly when Taylor died at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was airlifted after the shooting early Monday.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday night when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.


"Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.

The 24-year-old was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.

Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house at the time, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery," Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. "It has not been confirmed as yet."

Taylor was shot at the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Eight days before the attack someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.

"They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Police Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."

Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is the police chief of Florida City, Fla.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart -- an emerging locker room leader.

Especially since the birth of his daughter Jackie.

"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash said. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."

An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins with the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he's ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.

Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he's ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee.

"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."

His hard work was well-noted.

"He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said. "And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life."

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting

this doesn't sound like a burglary. it sounds more like someone wanted to cripple a star player. or possibly (if they were aiming for the groin) an ex lovers disgruntled boyfriend.

 

[Baba Louie]

Sad story all around. A Cop's kid who made it in the NFL, a bad boy of sorts, an inicident or two, then a change in life with a child. A break in a few weeks back and then this.

The old adage about taking a knife to a gun fight seems to hold true, even if said knife was a machete. Perhaps that was all he was now allowed due to earlier incidents, a yard implement, a garden tool.

Now a little girl will never know her father.

That's sad.

I do hope they find his assailants... and I do hope sports figures of today understand their position as both role models and potential high end targets for ner-do-wells seeking easy gain. I wonder if we'll ever know who, what and why?

 

[Deanimator]

Not a slap at the cops, but at anti-self-defense imbeciles:

Why didn't the police protect him???

Because they COULDN'T.

I will of course remember this incident every time some jackass with a double-digit IQ tells me that you only need a baseball bat for home defense.

Rule 1 - Never bring a machete to a gunfight.
Rule 2 - Bringing a bat to a gunfight NEVER works better than bringing a machete.

 

[El Tejon]

People call me paranoid (even at THR) for keeping dressings in my bedroom.

"No one thinks about stopping bleeding until they are [bleeding]."
Clint Smith

If you fight, you can and will get hurt. Once you accept this fact, you can prepare for bleeding out in your own home.

 

[Bones11b]

My prayers go out to his family. My fiancee knew him and they always got along great. She's going to miss him so in a way I am as well.

 

[Joe7cri]

People call me paranoid (even at THR) for keeping dressings in my bedroom.

"No one thinks about stopping bleeding until they are [bleeding]."
Clint Smith

If you fight, you can and will get hurt. Once you accept this fact, you can prepare for bleeding out in your own home.

I would say he was in the right place for his injury. If a bullet passes through your femoral artery you'll need more than bulk dressing. If his girlfriend knew how serious the injury was, she could have restricted blood flow to the artery using a belt almost like a tourniquet. Taylor would have probably lost the leg if the tourniquet was successful but at least he'd still be alive.

 

[REPOMAN]

Awful loss

My prayers go out to his family and friends......

 

[rocinante]

Another story on the incident. He played for the Redskins so maybe his home was in the D.C. where we all know is so enlightened they prefer you bring a machete to a gunfight. Unless he was under some other legal ban pertaining to some of his past shenanigans it appears a defenseless law abiding citizen took one for the greater good decided for him. I am sure the first thing he says to Jesus is thank god for gun control.


MIAMI (AP) - Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early Tuesday, a day after he was shot at home by what police say was an intruder. He was 24. Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor's father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

He said Taylor died early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president of football operations. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.

"Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.

Taylor was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.

"According to a preliminary investigation, it appears that the victim was shot inside the home by an intruder," Miami-Dade County police said in a statement.

But police were still investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911.

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

Police found signs of forced entry, but have not determined if they were caused Monday, or the previous burglary.

The shooting happened in the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Eight days before the attack someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.

"They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."

Born April 1, 1983, Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is police chief of Florida City.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart - an emerging locker room leader.

Especially since the birth of his daughter.

"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash said. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."

An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins as the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he'd ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.

Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he'd ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee.

"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."

His hard work was well-noted.

"He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said. "And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life."

 

[foghornl]

Eight days before the attack someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.


I can't comment on the rest of Mr. Taylor's life, but to me, that is a serious notice that someone(s) is(are) wishing you great harm.

What a sad ending.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Too sad. Another victim of gun control. I have a feeling if he had had a gun it wouldn't have ended this way.

 

[K3]

I had heard on a radio report this morning that he was attempting to get to his bedroom where he kept a 'small gun for defense'.

Something like that.

Anybody heard anything similar?

 

[Conqueror]

Another victim of gun control.

Huh? Do you have some info no one else has? Because I've not seen any mention of him being prohibited from owning a firearm. You can't blame a murder on gun control just because the victim had no gun.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Not only did he not have a gun, but the criminal that killed him was obviously able to get one, which is what gun control is supposed to prevent. I believe he also had a felony for aggravated assault, which would have prevented him from owning a gun under current laws regardless of whether or not he had turned himself around.

 

[plexreticle]

He's lucky to be alive if he was tagged in the femoral artery.

Criminals have a way of clearing themselves and each other out of the gene pool. I have a feeling this may be the case.

 

[MakAttak]

Yesit'sloaded has it right. Taylor was convicted of a felony and would legally be barred from owning a gun. His lawyer said a "small knife" or something to that effect when referring to the machete he kept under his bed. As such, the statement "another victim of gun control" nailed it on the head.

 

[K3]

Machete it is. My local radio guy ain't the brightest crayon in the box.

To those that think felons should be permanently barred from owning firearms, how do you reconcile this situation to yourself?

He may have been a thug, but evidently he was minding his own business at the time. Does he not have the same right to provide for his defense as you or me?

 

[MakAttak]

Honestly, this is a difficult question. Before I had thought that barring felons from guns (just like voting) was a reasonable restriction. Now it becomes more difficult- Taylor was a felon, but he deserved the right to defend himself and his family.

I know many here say that "If they've paid their debt, they should be allowed guns" but many of those who have been in prison should not be allowed back out.

Of course, barring felons from owning firearms only prevents those felons who now obey the law from owning firearms.Those felons who have nefarious purposes simply have a little tougher time getting them as they must go through the black market. It does give prosecutors further charges to file, but shouldn't we just put people away for a long time for killing/robbing/raping rather than caring that they used a gun to facilitate their crime?

 

[The Annoyed Man]

My understanding is that a felon may petition a judge for the restoration of his citizenship rights - including the rights to vote and to possess firearms. Also from what I understand, if the petitioner can give clear evidence that he has turned his life around, the petitions are often granted.

That is pretty much how I want it to be. There is no good reason to permit a repeat violent offender to legally arm himself. OTH, if the person gives evidence of becoming a good citizen, then they ought to have all the rights of good citizenship.

That's my 2¢ on that. As to this young man's character, he may have been a big time jerk during part of his life, but I would never wish what happened to him on anyone who was trying to get his life turned around, nor would I call him names. It serves nothing. But that's just me.

 

[K3]

My understanding is that a felon may petition a judge for the restoration of his citizenship rights - including the rights to vote and to possess firearms. Also from what I understand, if the petitioner can give clear evidence that he has turned his life around, the petitions are often granted.

Your understanding? Often granted? I'd sure like to see some hard numbers on this.

If you have to ask for them, they ain't rights anymore. Rights are something free men just have. Without begging a judge. If a man isn't locked up, he should be considered a free man. I don't even care about parole or probation. Out of jail = free as far as I'm concerned. Keep the truly bad ones locked up. Too expensive you say? Governments at all levels have plenty of money. They choose to spend it on other things, many of which a government ought not be involved in to begin with. Get rid of those things and shift some of that money to prisons. Voila! You can house as many as you need to and as many as want the three hots and a cot.

 

[Winchester 73]

Its now being reported by inside Redskin sources that all land line phones wires were cut and that Taylor had other people staying in the house during the shooting.
The intruder(s)knew exactly which room to go to , shoot Taylor and then vanish.
It now sounds like a possible inside job.He certainly had enough enemies.
Here is a recent link:

http://www.miamiherald.com/606/story/322222.html

 

[MDHunter]

Phone Lines Cut...

I was watching the news coverage of this, wish I remembered which network....the reporter stated that according to the girlfriend (who was also in the bedroom at the time of the incident, supposedly had her head under the covers so didn't see anything) they heard loud noises and voices (MULTIPLE) downstairs...tried to use the phone, found the line had been cut. When Sean got up to lock the bedroom door and get a machete, someone barged through the bedroom door and shot twice.

If someone cut phone lines - is that a typical precaution burglars take, or is that only typically done when they know someone is home?