2021 Rock Hill shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States
Rock Hill, the location of the shooting, pictured in 2018
LocationRock Hill, South Carolina, U.S.
DateApril 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
4:45 p.m. EDT (20:45 UTC)
Attack type
Mass shooting, murder–suicide
Weapon.45-caliber handgun[1]
9 mm handgun[2]
Deaths7 (including the perpetrator who committed suicide the next day)
Injured0
PerpetratorPhillip Adams

On April 7, 2021, six people, including two children, were shot and killed at a house in Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States. Phillip Adams, a former National Football League player, was named as the perpetrator.[3][4]

External videos
video icon "Former N.F.L. Player Kills 5 in South Carolina", The New York Times, April 8, 2021

On April 8, 2021, the York County Sheriff's Office said in a press conference that the perpetrator was Adams, confirmed by his father Alonzo Adams.[5] A spokesperson for the York County Sheriff's Office said that the perpetrator had been identified and they were in the process of searching his home. Police also said they believed no other perpetrators were involved.[1] According to the coroners' office, Adams subsequently shot and killed himself with a .45-caliber handgun.[1][6]

Shooting

Police received 911 calls starting about 4:45 p.m. EDT. A neighbor called after hearing gunshots, as did the manager of a repair company, who said that two of his employees had been shot.[7] Responding police officers found two repairmen in the yard of the home, one of them dead. Police found evidence at the scene that tied Adams to the shooting.[8]

Around 9:00 p.m. EDT, police surrounded Adams' parents' house. They then spent several hours negotiating with Adams, and sent in a robot to scan the house. Adams' parents were evacuated from the house, and police found Adams dead inside. Police found both a .45-caliber handgun and a 9 mm gun inside the house.[1]

Victims

The fatally shot victims included 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife, Barbara, their two grandchildren, and a man working outside the house at the time. A sixth victim and fellow worker was critically injured in the shooting and was flown to a Charlotte hospital afterwards.[9][10] He died on April 10.[11]

Lesslie was a prominent local doctor who founded two urgent care centers.[12] He wrote a weekly medical column for The Charlotte Observer and was an author of medical advice books.[9] He and his wife were known for their community service and charity.[13] The Lesslie and Adams families were neighbors.[14]

Response

Adams had no prior criminal record.[15] His father, Alonzo, suggested that football may have played a role in the shooting, stating in an interview with WCNC-TV that the sport "messed him up".[5] President Joe Biden mentioned the shooting in a speech about gun reform on April 8.[16] On April 9, researchers at Boston University announced they would be studying Adams' brain.[17] On December 14, 2021, an autopsy revealed that Adams suffered from an "unusually severe" case of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kinnard, Meg (April 9, 2021). "Authorities: NFL player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself". Associated Press. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  2. ↑ Liu, Michelle; Kinnard, Meg (April 8, 2021). "Former 49ers player Phillip Adams kills 5, then himself, sheriff says". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ "South Carolina mass shooting: Former NFL pro killed 5, then himself, sources say". WSOC TV. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  4. ↑ "NFL player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself, authorities say". CNBC. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Lee, Hank; Morabito, Nate; DeVayne, Richard (April 8, 2021). "Father of York County mass shooting suspect says son killed 5 others, then himself". WCNC. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ Crump, James; Zoellner, Danielle (April 8, 2021). "Ex-NFL player reported as gunman who killed renowned doctor and grandchildren". The Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ Peter, Josh; Fernando, Christine; Hayes, Christal; Gross, Daniel J. (April 8, 2021). "'Nothing makes sense': Former NFL player Phillip Adams shot, killed five people – including family – in South Carolina, police say". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ Cramer, Maria; Levenson, Michael; Belson, Ken (April 8, 2021). "Doctor and His Grandchildren Among 5 Fatally Shot in South Carolina". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Michelle Liu; Meg Kinnard (April 7, 2021). "Authorities: NFL player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Mansell, William; Shapiro, Emily (April 10, 2021). "Doctor, his grandkids among 5 killed in shootings at South Carolina home: Officials". ABC News. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ Korynta, Emma; Tompkins, Meilin (April 10, 2021). "Robert Shook, sixth victim in Rock Hill shooting, dies from injuries". WCNC. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ "'To know the Lesslie family is to love them.' Prominent doctor, wife and two grandchildren killed in York Co". WBTV. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Vigil brings out hundreds to honor 'shining light' South Carolina family killed in shooting". ABC 7 News. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021. The Lesslie family was well-known for their community service and giving back.
  14. ↑ Logan, Liz (April 14, 2021). "Neighbors Commiserate After Phillip Adams Kills Six People and Himself". Queen City Nerve.
  15. ↑ Bella, Timothy (April 8, 2021). "Five dead in S.C. shooting committed by ex-NFL player Phillip Adams, who then killed himself, authorities say". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  16. ↑ Dys, Andrew (April 8, 2021). "SC mass shooting: Phillip Adams' motive unknown in killing". Rock Hill Herald. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  17. ↑ Gallagher, Dianne; Almasy, Steve; hanna, Jason (April 9, 2021). "Scientists will study brain of former NFL player who police say killed five people then took his own life". CNN. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  18. ↑ Kaplan, Anna. "Ex-NFL Player Phillip Adams—Who Killed 6 During Rampage—Had Severe CTE Similar To Aaron Hernandez, Doctor Says". Forbes. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
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