Sean Taylor Dies after shooting

[MateoInMex]

I was a big fan of Sean Taylor. He was a helluva football player, he loved to hit people on the field.

I was hoping the Packers or Dolphins would have had a chance at drafting him when he came out.

Hopefully the thug(s) that did this will be brought to justice. Having read that Taylor's home had experienced problems with burglars and home invaders before, it was unclear (at least when I read the stories) if he had some type of security service.

One of the questions asked by Trey Wingo to John Clayton from ESPN NFL LIVE was if the league has incorporated home security issues to NFL players during training sessions.

It should be addressed. Recently there seems to have been a rise in reported robberies involving pro athletes. Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry and even Stephon Marbury I believe.

Once some athletes become stars in pro sports, they immediately become targets. This happened at his home, not a club after a brawl. And it wasn't the first time.

It's a sad story.

[GBRulz]

First that kid in Denver, now this. I am absolutely devestated for the families.

Obviously, at least to me, these were not random shootings.

It seems impossible for these outstanding athletes to leave their roots behind. Pure speculation and no facts to support my opinion.

My thoughts exactly.

[Tarlam!]

wrong thread

[MateoInMex]

Tarlam,

Just curious of what you meant by the being unable to leave roots behind comment. (were you referring to Taylor's other run-ins with the law or just this specific incident?)

Like myself, I have no idea other than the police are saying it's a homicide from a home invasion.

I'm sure the police are immediately looking at any suspects that have targeted his home before.

[Tarlam!]

Tarlam,

Just curious of what you meant by the being unable to leave roots behind comment.

Well, it's the "milleau". These kids, especially African-Americans grow up in the 'hood. It follows them around.

The Deion Sanders of the world, or the Reggie Bushes are seemingly rare.

In no way do I suggest fault with the athlete.

[MateoInMex]

Gotcha.

Although he has had some personal problems in the past, he has had trouble with people trying to break into his home before. The other thread on here mentioned a 2005 incident with some ATV's, and not even 10 days ago, his GF called police to report a burglary.


It seems that someone was continuously targeting Sean Taylor. Those incidents jump out at me, makes me wonder with Taylor's fame and noteriety if there was adequate security at his home.

[Charles Woodson]

My theory has changed a decent amount

I do think that he was targeted. The sad thing though is that he had changed alot. All i hear is that when his daughter was born, he became a better person. It is tragic for anyone to die, but especially some one who was such an amazing football player. This is what i found on his legal troubles.

Legal trouble
DUI arrest

On October 27, 2004, Taylor was arrested at 2:45am for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol following a birthday party for former Redskins' receiver Rod Gardner.[10] A Fairfax County, Virginia judge later acquitted Taylor of the charges in March 2005, after viewing a videotape of Taylor's roadside sobriety tests that, according to the judge, failed to demonstrate obvious intoxication. Taylor was, however, convicted for refusing to take a blood alcohol test requested of him by a Virginia state police officer.[11] However, when this case was heard on appeal in March 2005, Taylor was acquitted of refusing to take a BAC test, due to lack of probable cause for the request.[12]
Missing 2005 Redskins mini-camp

In May, 2005, Taylor, seeking a new contract with the Redskins, was the only Redskin who refused to appear for a Redskins' training mini-camp. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs acknowledged that the Redskins had had no contact with Taylor since he returned to Miami in January, 2005, and that he had failed to return repeated phone calls to him by Gibbs and other Redskins' coaching staff. Despite his legal and other difficulties, though, Gibbs has defended the drafting of Taylor, calling the preparation that went into his selection one of the "most researched things in the history of sports".[citation needed]

Taylor's agent was fellow University of Miami alumnus Drew Rosenhaus, widely considered one of the most aggressive agents then representing NFL players.[13] Rosenhaus represented Taylor in his efforts to renegotiate his Redskins' contract up until his death.[citation needed]
Arrested for armed assault

Events:

    * On June 3, 2005, Taylor was named publicly as a "person of interest" by Miami-Dade County police in regard to a Miami assault case involving firearms, and was being sought for questioning. "We need to speak to him, we don't know if he's a victim, witness or suspect," Miami-Dade police spokesman Mary Walters said. Taylor allegedly was present at, and possibly involved in, an incident on June 1, 2005 in Miami, in which bullets allegedly were fired into a stolen vehicle. [citation needed]

    * On June 5, 2005, ESPN and The Miami Herald both reported that Taylor, accompanied by his lawyer, surrendered to Miami-Dade police at approximately 10pm ET on June 4 at Miami's Cutler Ridge district police station, where he was transported to Miami's Turner Guilford Knight correctional facility. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, a felony, and misdemeanor battery.[citation needed]

    * On June 5, Miami-Dade police issued a statement indicating that Taylor had been arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm (a felony) and battery (a misdemeanor), for allegedly pointing a gun at a person over a dispute over two ATVs that Taylor claimed were stolen.[citation needed] Taylor then allegedly left the scene, but returned shortly and punched one person.[citation needed]

    * The Associated Press reported on June 5 that Taylor was held in detention at Miami's Turner Gilford Knight correctional facility and released the evening of June 4 after posting bond of $16,500. The Miami-Dade County Clerk's Office announced that Taylor would soon be officially arraigned on the charges.[citation needed]

    * The Washington Post reported on March 3, 2006 that Taylor's trial has been postponed until April 10, 2006. Days before that date, the trial was moved back once more, this time by a week, because of conflicts with Passover and Easter celebrations.[citation needed]

Plea agreement and resolution

On January 28, 2006, the Miami-Dade County prosecutor announced that he was filing new charges against Taylor, which would have increased his potential maximum jail time from 16 years to 46 years.[citation needed]

The new charges include increasing his felony assault charges from one to three, which reflects the allegation that, on June 1, 2005, he brandished a firearm at three individuals who Taylor believed stole two all-terrain vehicles from him.[citation needed]

The trial was again postponed on April 17, 2006 (to May 8, 2006), after the prosecutor in the case asked the presiding judge to be removed from the case. The County prosecutor's request for removal from the case came as Taylor's defense lawyers argued that the prosecutor was using the case to promote his side-work as a disc jockey in South Beach. Defense lawyers for Taylor entered a motion for the case's complete dismissal, due to prosecutorial misconduct.[citation needed]

On May 8, 2006, the prosecution requested and received another extension of the case, citing the new prosecutor assigned to the case and a need for additional preparation time. The trial was scheduled to begin July 10, 2006 in Miami but on June 2, 2006 the charges against Taylor were dropped as part of a negotiated plea bargain. Taylor donated his time to various charities and made $1,000 donations to 10 southern Florida schools in scholarships and, in exchange, will avoid jail time and a felony record.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Tarlam,

Just curious of what you meant by the being unable to leave roots behind comment.

Well, it's the "milleau". These kids, especially African-Americans grow up in the 'hood. It follows them around.

The Deion Sanders of the world, or the Reggie Bushes are seemingly rare.

In no way do I suggest fault with the athlete.

It is kinda funny you would say Deion as he grew up in a the country ghetto.

Taylor's father is chief of police and went to private school.

Why do you (not you specifically) think people think Taylor grew up in a hood?

[MateoInMex]

Yea,

Although there are thousands of home invasions anywhere in the country in any given year, I'm not sure I agree with Tarlam's violence follows people from the 'hood comment.

It looks more and more that Taylor was a target, not because of the color of his skin, or where he was from, but because he was famous w/money.



d;o)

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Yea,

Although there are thousands of home invasions anywhere in the country in any given year, I'm not sure I agree with Tarlam's violence follows people from the 'hood comment.

It looks more and more that Taylor was a target, not because of the color of his skin, or where he was from, but because he was famous w/money.



d;o)

I agree with that. They might not even have known it was him. Decent house in decent neighborhood.

And, if they did know it was him, might have thought he was not in town as he shoulda been playing for the skins. Unless they really pay attention to what is going on.

[FritzDontBlitz]

In the Miami Herald's article about this tragedy there seems to be some discrepancy about who's vehicle was actually shot at and by whom. The article posted to this thread suggests, based on the chronological order of the events it reported (not the poster of the article, the article itself) that Taylor is the one who did the shooting. Yet, if you read the article from today's Miami-Herald, you will find this paragraph:

ASSAULT CASE

He was arrested in June 2005 on felony charges of waving a gun at people he believed had stolen his all-terrain vehicle. He later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery. Sharpstein said Taylor was the victim and that he should not have been charged.

After the plea, Ryan Lee Hill, a member of the group that Taylor had allegedly accosted, sued Taylor. In the suit, which is pending, Hill claimed Taylor hit him repeatedly in a fight and brandished a gun at him, and said he had lost wages and had medical bills because of injuries.

''Totally garbage and untrue,'' Sharpstein said Monday of Hill's account.

After the fight, Taylor, friend Michael McFarlane and a man named Charles Caughman went to McFarlane's house in West Perrine, according to court records of the incident. Soon afterward, a silver car pulled up to McFarlane's house and someone opened fire, peppering Taylor's GMC Yukon Denali with bullets. Police found 27 bullet casings outside, and at least 15 shots hit Taylor's car. No one was hit, and the shooting remains unsolved.

McFarlane has since moved out of the small ranch home on Southwest 104th Avenue. The current renter on Monday showed a visitor bullet holes that remain over a front window.

http://www.miamiherald.com/606/story/322222.html

The Miami-Herald article states that the SUV shot at was in fact Taylor's.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

In the Miami Herald's article about this tragedy there seems to be some discrepancy about who's vehicle was actually shot at and by whom. The article posted to this thread suggests, based on the chronological order of the events it reported (not the poster of the article, the article itself) that Taylor is the one who did the shooting. Yet, if you read the article from today's Miami-Herald, you will find this paragraph:

ASSAULT CASE

He was arrested in June 2005 on felony charges of waving a gun at people he believed had stolen his all-terrain vehicle. He later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery. Sharpstein said Taylor was the victim and that he should not have been charged.

After the plea, Ryan Lee Hill, a member of the group that Taylor had allegedly accosted, sued Taylor. In the suit, which is pending, Hill claimed Taylor hit him repeatedly in a fight and brandished a gun at him, and said he had lost wages and had medical bills because of injuries.

''Totally garbage and untrue,'' Sharpstein said Monday of Hill's account.

After the fight, Taylor, friend Michael McFarlane and a man named Charles Caughman went to McFarlane's house in West Perrine, according to court records of the incident. Soon afterward, a silver car pulled up to McFarlane's house and someone opened fire, peppering Taylor's GMC Yukon Denali with bullets. Police found 27 bullet casings outside, and at least 15 shots hit Taylor's car. No one was hit, and the shooting remains unsolved.

McFarlane has since moved out of the small ranch home on Southwest 104th Avenue. The current renter on Monday showed a visitor bullet holes that remain over a front window.

http://www.miamiherald.com/606/story/322222.html

The Miami-Herald article states that the SUV shot at was in fact Taylor's.

I'd always heard it was his, but driven/used by a friend.

[Charles Woodson]

Tarlam,

Just curious of what you meant by the being unable to leave roots behind comment.

Well, it's the "milleau". These kids, especially African-Americans grow up in the 'hood. It follows them around.

The Deion Sanders of the world, or the Reggie Bushes are seemingly rare.

In no way do I suggest fault with the athlete.

It is kinda funny you would say Deion as he grew up in a the country ghetto.

Taylor's father is chief of police and went to private school.

Why do you (not you specifically) think people think Taylor grew up in a hood?

Alright granted Gulliver is not the hood, it is far from a good school... They recruit all of there athletes(even though its illegal in Florida), they use to be a rival school of mine, but have gone up a few classes. But back to the main subject. Gulliver is far from good. Drugs, achohal, the normal. Last year some kids were expelled because they were selling drugs to kids at different schools. Killian on the other hand is a bad school in general. Its a large very large school (i think its public but not sure) But honestly i dont remember why this has anything to do with it. The answer is that Taylor may not have grown up in the hood, but he may have been hanging around with those type of people

[Bossman641]

Such a sad story. It is just crazy to think that 6-7 weeks ago he was all over the field at Lambeau. He had really stepped up his game this year and, from everything I've read, had really become a better person as well. What a shame.

[DannoMac21]

This is a real shame. It bothered me all day today. I went to bed last night thinking he was going to be fine. So sad.

But I do think this is fishy in some kind of way. Why would he get "robbed" but they didn't take anything. Obviously the knife placed in his bed 8 days before was some kind of "warning". Maybe the girlfriend had something to do with it? I just think it's weird.