Autopsy: Severe brain trauma in ex-NFL player who shot 6
FILE – In this Oct. 25, 2015, file photo, Atlanta Falcons defensive back Phillip Adams arrives for an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, in Nashville, Tenn.
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — A coroner says an autopsy shows unusually severe brain disease in the frontal lobe of the former NFL player accused of fatally shooting six people in Rock Hill, South Carolina before killing himself in April.
The twenty years ex-football pro Phillip Adams spent playing football “definitely … gave rise” to a diagnosis of stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, said Dr. Ann McKee, who examined Adams’ brain.
Authorities have said that on April 7, Phillip Adams killed Rock Hill physician Robert Lesslie; his wife, Barbara; two of their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie; and two HVAC technicians working at the Lesslie home, James Lewis and Robert Shook, both 38. Police later found Adams with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The degenerative disease known as CTE is linked to head trauma and concussions that has been shown to cause a range of symptoms, including violent mood swings and memory loss. Read the full story here:
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20 of America’s deadliest mass shootings in the past 10 years
July 20, 2012: Aurora, Colorado
Incident date: July 20, 2012
City/county: Aurora, Colorado
Killed: 12
Family members stand outside Gateway High School where witnesses were brought for questioning after a gunman opened fire at the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises Batman movie Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo.
Dec. 14, 2012: Newtown, Connecticut
Incident date: Dec. 14, 2012
City/county: Newtown, Connecticut
Killed: 26
Parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman opened fire, leaving 26 people dead, including 20 children on Dec. 14, 2012.
Sept. 16, 2013: Washington, D.C.
Incident date: Sept. 16, 2013
City/county: Washington, D.C.
Killed: 12
A police boat patrols near the scene of a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, in Washington. At least one gunman opened fire inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard.
June 17, 2015: Charleston, South Carolina
Incident date: June 17, 2015
City/county: Charleston, South Carolina
Killed: 9
Worshippers embrace following a group prayer across the street from the scene of a shooting at Emanuel AME Church, Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside the historic black church, killing multiple people, including the pastor, in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime.
Oct. 1, 2015: Roseburg, Oregon
Incident date: Oct. 1, 2015
City/county: Roseburg, Oregon
Killed: 10
A woman is comforted as friends and family wait for students at the local fairgrounds after a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.
Dec. 2, 2015: San Bernardino, California
Incident date: Dec. 2, 2015
City/county: San Bernardino, California
Killed: 14
Authorities search for a suspect following a shooting that killed multiple people at a social services facility Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino, Calif.
June 12, 2016: Orlando, Florida
Incident date: June 12, 2016
City/county: Orlando, Florida
Killed: 49
Police officers direct family members away from a fatal shooting at Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Fla. A gunman massacred 49 people and wounded many others at the gay nightclub.
Oct. 1, 2017: Las Vegas, Nevada
Incident date: Oct. 1, 2017
City/county: Las Vegas, Nevada
Killed: 58
In this Oct. 3, 2017, file photo, windows are broken at the Mandalay Bay resort and casino in Las Vegas, the room from where Stephen Craig Paddock fired on a nearby music festival, killed 58 and injuring hundreds on Oct. 1, 2017.
Nov. 5, 2017: Sutherland Springs, Texas
Incident date: Nov. 5, 2017
City/county: Sutherland Springs, Texas
Killed: 25
A law enforcement official walks past the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Feb. 14, 2018: Parkland, Florida
Incident date: Feb. 14, 2018
City/county: Parkland, Florida
Killed: 17
Parents wait for news after a reports of a shooting that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.
May 18, 2018: Santa Fe, Texas
Incident date: May 18, 2018
City/county: Santa Fe, Texas
Killed: 10
People react outside the unification center at the Alamo Gym, following a shooting at Santa Fe High School Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas.
Oct. 27, 2018: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Incident date: Oct. 27, 2018
City/county: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Killed: 11
Students from the Yeshiva School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, pay their respects as the funeral procession for Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz passes their school en route to Homewood Cemetery following a funeral service at the Jewish Community Center, Tuesday Oct. 30, 2018.
Nov. 7, 2018: Thousand Oaks, California
Incident date: Nov. 7, 2018
City/county: Thousand Oaks, California
Killed: 12
In this image taken from video a victim is treated near the scene of a shooting, Wednesday evening, Nov. 7, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. A hooded gunman dressed entirely in black opened fire on a crowd at a country dance bar holding a weekly “college night” in Southern California, killing multiple people and sending hundreds fleeing including some who used barstools to break windows and escape, authorities said Thursday. The gunman was later found dead at the scene.
May 31, 2019: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Incident date: May 31, 2019
City/county: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Killed: 12
A police chaplain heads toward Princess Anne Middle School in Virginia Beach, Va, on Friday, May 31, 2019. A longtime city employee opened fire at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, killing 11 people before police shot and killed him, authorities said. Six other people were wounded in the shooting, including a police officer whose bulletproof vest saved his life, said Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera.
Aug. 3, 2019: El Paso, Texas
Incident date: Aug. 3, 2019
City/county: El Paso, Texas
Killed: 23
An El Paso police officer talks to a store employee following a shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Multiple people were killed and one person was in custody after a shooter went on a rampage at a shopping mall, police in the Texas border town of El Paso said.
Aug. 4, 2019: Dayton, Ohio
Incident date: Aug. 4, 2019
City/county: Dayton, Ohio
Killed: 9
Shoes are piled outside the scene of a mass shooting at Ned Peppers bar, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. Nine people in Ohio were killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
Aug. 31, 2019: Midland, Texas
Incident date: Aug. 31, 2019
City/county: Midland, Texas
Killed: 7
Law enforcement officials process the crime scene from a shooting which ended with the shooter being shot dead by police in a stolen mail van, right, in Odessa, Texas. The mass shooting in West Texas spread terror over more than 10 miles as the gunman fired from behind the wheel of a car.
March 16, 2021: Atlanta
Incident date: March 16, 2021
City/county: Atlanta, Georgia
Killed: 8
Law enforcement officials confer outside a massage parlor following a shooting on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs left eight people dead, several of them women of Asian descent, authorities said Tuesday.
March 22, 2021: Boulder, Colorado
Incident date: March 22, 2021
City/county: Boulder, Colorado
Killed: 10
Police work on the scene outside a King Soopers grocery store where gunman killed 10 people on Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
April 15, 2021: Indianapolis
Incident date: April 15, 2021
City/county: Indianapolis
Killed: 9
Police stand near the scene where multiple people were shot at the FedEx Ground facility early Friday morning, April 16, 2021, in Indianapolis. A gunman killed eight people and wounded several others before apparently taking his own life in a late-night attack at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, police said.
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