AP Source: Former 49ers, Raiders player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself

By MEG KINNARD | The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C.  — The gunman who killed five people including a prominent doctor in South Carolina was former 49ers and Raiders cornerback Phillip Adams, who killed himself early Thursday, according to a source who was briefed on the investigation.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said Adams’ parents live near the doctor’s home in Rock Hill, and that he had been treated by the doctor. The source said Phillips killed himself after midnight with a .45 caliber weapon.

The York County Sheriff’s Office said they had searched for hours before finding the suspect in a nearby home.

Adams, 33, played as a defensive back for multiple teams. The 49ers drafted him in 2010 as a seventh-round pick from South Carolina State.

Adams appeared in 15 games as a rookie before sustaining a broken ankle and getting cut prior to the 2011 season. The Rock Hill native played for the Raiders from 2012-13, as well as the New England Patriots (2011), the Seattle Seahawks (2011), the New York Jets (2014) and the Atlanta Falcons (2015). He also suffered multiple injuries in the NFL, including concussions.

The York County coroner’s office said Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, were pronounced dead at the scene along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5.

A man who had been working at the home, James Lewis, 38, from Gaston, 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.

Faris said deputies were called around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday to the Lesslies’ home, and spent hours searching for the suspect before finding him in a nearby home.

“We have found the person we believe is responsible and we are with him at this time and that’s all I can say about the suspect,” Faris said.

The investigation is ongoing, he said.

“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 (40 kilometers) southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

Source: Orange County Register