Sports in brief: Police say McNair death homicide

NFL: Shot twice in the head and two more times in the chest, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was the victim of a homicide, Nashvill, Tenn., police declared Sunday. But authorities wouldn’t say it was a murder-suicide – even with his 20-year-old girlfriend dead at his feet from a single bullet.

McNair had been dating Sahel Kazemi for several months, and Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Sunday that a semiautomatic pistol was found under her body. She was shot in the head.

McNair, who was married with four sons, had a permit to carry a handgun in Tennessee, and he was arrested once before with a 9mm weapon although charges were dropped. Police said they had not yet determined who owned the gun found at the scene.

Investigators weren’t looking for a suspect but were questioning friends of the couple as well as Kazemi’s ex-boyfriend. They were also waiting for results of drug and other laboratory tests before deciding whether McNair was killed in a lovers’ quarrel.

McNair and Kazemi were found dead at a Nashville condominium – which overlooks the Titans stadium – that he rented with his friend Wayne Neeley. Police believe both died early Saturday. Neeley found the bodies hours later, and called a friend, Robert Gaddy, who played at Alcorn State with McNair. Gaddy dialed 911.

“People have certain things that they do in life,” Gaddy said. “We don’t need to look on the situation at this time (but) on the fact we just lost a great member of society.”

The quarterback’s agent, Bus Cook, said he had never heard Kazemi’s name until news of the shooting broke Saturday. What McNair’s wife knew wasn’t clear Sunday. Cook said Mechelle McNair had no comment after the police called his death a homicide.

The victim’s sister, Soheyla Kazemi, told the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville that the young woman had expected McNair to get a divorce: “She said they were planning to get married.”

Associated Press