911 Tape Of Blades Raises Questions Seahawks Receiver Heard Wailing After Gunshot Killed Cousin In Florida

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Brian Blades was trying to prevent a fight when his cousin was shot to death, the player said on a 911 police tape punctuated by loud sobbing and wailing.

The case is being treated by police as a homicide investigation, but Drew Rosenhaus, Blades’ agent, is calling the early Wednesday shooting an accident.

The tape released Thursday covered calls by Blades and a friend from the player’s condominium to police.

“I need you to come to my house,” said a panicky Blades. “I went down to stop my brother from, uh, fighting his girl, and the gun went off and shot my cousin.”

Blades’ attorney told police Thursday the player would not submit to questioning by detectives, said Sgt. Michael Price.

Police believe four men, but no women, were in the condo. The references to the brother and cousin are to the same man, Charles Blades, 34, who was fatally shot under his chin by a .38-caliber bullet that took an upward trajectory, Price said.

There was no indication on the tape or from Brian Blades, 29, as to who had control of the gun when it went off.

In the second call, this exchange was recorded between a police dispatcher and the friend.

Q: “Who accidentally shot him?”

A: “His cousin.”

Q: “His cousin who?”

A: “What?”

Q: “His cousin who?”

A: “He grabbed the gun, and the gun go off.”

The Seahawks’ top draft pick in 1988 could be heard sobbing loudly and screaming incoherently, and Rosenhaus said Thursday his client was still unable to function.

The player’s doctor has prescribed tranquilizers for Blades, but Rosenhaus said, “Everytime he attempts to talk about it he breaks down.”

Downstairs neighbors reported hearing an argument, but Price said: “We don’t know if the commotion that they’re hearing is after the incident they heard or before. That’s why we were hoping Brian could shed some light.”

In a series of telephone calls between attorney Bruce Zimet and police, Blades initially was to give a statement Wednesday afternoon, but it was put off.

Zimet called police twice Thursday, and on the second call said Blades would not speak to police, Price said.

“Under his advice, Brian will not be giving us a statement,” Price said.

“It is not unusual that we have people who do not want to talk to us in an investigation,” the police spokesman said. “It’s no surprise to us because it happens every day.”

Detectives expect to complete their work and present a report next week to the Broward County state attorney’s office, which has the power to subpoena Blades and refer the case to a grand jury.

But Charles Morton, chief of the prosecutor’s homicide division, said a subpoena is unlikely because it comes with an offer of use immunity, meaning anything said cannot be used against the person being questioned.

“That’s not standard procedure at all to compel someone to come in and say how a shooting happened, particularly if they’re the individual who may have done the shooting,” Morton said.

“More than likely it will be presented to a grand jury for review,” he said. “That’s usually standard procedure in almost any homicide.”

Price had not received any word about autopsy results and said laboratory test results for gunpowder residue from the body and swabs of Brian Blades’ hands would take several days.

Suicide was ruled out early because Charles Blades had no gunshot contact wounds, Price said.

Investigators believe the .38-caliber semiautomatic used in the shooting belonged to Brian Blades because “there was a holster nearby as if it was stored in the house,” Price said.