Blades: Shooting Accidental Seahawks Receiver Still Avoides Police, Sobs Through His Own News Conference

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Brian Blades emerged from seclusion at his parents’ house Tuesday and professed through sobs that the fatal shooting of his cousin was unintentional.

“I know Charles’ death was an accident. The police know Charles’ death was an accident. And most important, God knows Charles’ death was an accident,” Blades said in a news conference on his parents’ lawn.

He has rejected police requests for interviews but read a statement to 35 reporters, photographers and neighbors with camcorders.

Charles Blades, 34, died of a gunshot wound to the underside of his chin in a bedroom at Brian Blades’ home July 5. Police said the player was the only other person in the room when his cousin was shot. The death has not been classified as a homicide, but suicide has been ruled out.

Police revealed Monday that more than one shot was fired from Brian Blades’ .38-caliber handgun, giving rise to further speculation it may not have been an accident.

“It’s nearly impossible in an accident situation for a gun to go off twice,” said police Sgt. Michael Price. “So it brings on new concerns.”

However, The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that representatives of Blades offered the explanation that the second shot was fired when Blades banged the gun on a desk in anguish after the accidental shot that struck his cousin.

“The evidence is consistent with that,” Price said. The second bullet passed at an angle through the top of the desk, and was found on the floor beneath the desk, he said.

Information released Monday that the second bullet had lodged in a wall was incorrect, Price told the Times.

Blades, 29, canceled two scheduled interviews with detectives.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said his client was distraught and “personally incapable” of talking to police.

But Blades faced a crowd as he read his statement. His father, Frederick, cried quietly as he rubbed his son’s neck while his mother, Rosa, stood nearby.

His comments were wrought with emotion, sometimes difficult to understand through his sobs. Blades gave no indication who fired the shots and answered no questions.

“The gun that shot Charles was a gun that I owned,” he admitted. “Neither Charles nor I ever intended that Charles would be shot. Neither Charles nor I thought Charles would be shot.”

Blades was not concerned about negative repercussions or legal ramifications from the news conference, Rosenhaus said.

“I hope the police will respect Brian coming forward and making these comments,” Rosenhaus said. “Whether there was one shot or two shots, it was an accident.”

Two frantic telephone calls to 911, one from Brian and one from a friend, shed little light on what happened.

Sobbing, Brian Blades told the dispatcher, “I went down to stop my brother from, uh, fighting his girl, and the gun went off and shot my cousin.”

In the second call, the friend said Charles Blades had been shot by his cousin.

Brian Blades said in his statement he would travel to Seattle “very soon,” possibly as early as next week for training camp.

When and if he makes it to the field, Blades says he’ll be a changed player.

“If I play a little bit harder and if I seem to jump a little bit higher and run a little faster or stretch a little farther,” he said, “understand that inside Brian Blades’ Seahawks uniform is a man motivated by and dedicated to his cousin Charles Blades’ memory.”