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McNair in 2003. Associated Press

 
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Kazemi in an undated booking photo from the Davidson County (Tenn.) Sheriff's office. Associated Press

By Mark Memmott

While the Associated Press is only going so far as to say that police are not looking for any suspects, the local newspaper in Nashville is reporting that former NFL star Steve McNair was killed Saturday in an "apparent murder-suicide."

The Tennessean says McNair, 36, was found at a condominium he rented with "several gunshot wounds, including one to the head." A 20-year-old woman, Sahel Kazemi, "was found on the floor near him with a single gunshot wound to her head," the newspaper adds. "A pistol was found near her body."

The Tennessean also writes that McNair, who is married, and Kazemi had been "dating ... for months" and that:

Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said investigators were not actively looking for suspects Saturday night but had not ruled out any scenarios. He stopped short of calling the deaths a murder-suicide, but said the police should be able to classify the deaths today after autopsies and forensic work.

At Nashville Public Radio, correspondent Blake Farmer also reports that "Metro Police are investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide involving former NFL quarterback Steve McNair."

McNair and Kazemi had been together Thursday when she was arrested on a DUI charge, the AP says. She was reportedly driving a Cadillac Escalade registered to her and McNair, the Tennessean reports. McNair was a passenger in the vehicle at that time.

Update at 4 p.m. ET. Police rule McNair's death a homicide. The AP now reports that:

Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair's shooting death was a homicide, police said Sunday, but authorities stopped short of saying it was a murder-suicide committed by the 20-year-old girlfriend found dead by his side.
McNair, 36, was shot four times, twice in the head, by a semiautomatic pistol, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. The woman, Sahel Kazemi, was killed by a single gunshot wound and the pistol was found under her body, Aaron said.
Police said they need to do more interviews with friends of Kazemi and McNair before they rule on whether her death was a suicide, Aaron said.

The Tennessean reports that Aaron also also said that police "can't be close-minded. ... All scenarios are on the table."

And, the newspaper quotes Kazemi's niece -- who says they were raised as sisters -- as saying Kazemi "would never kill anyone, ever."

From our original post: The AP recaps the highlights of McNair's NFL career this way:

McNair, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, led the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, which they lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams. He was co-MVP of the NFL with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2003. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in April 2008.
His most notable moment came in the 2000 Super Bowl. With the Titans trailing by seven, he led the team 87 yards in the final minute and 48 seconds, only to come up a yard short of a touchdown. Kevin Dyson caught his 9-yard pass, but was tackled at the 1-yard line by the Rams' Mike Jones.
McNair accounted for all of Tennessee's yards in that drive, throwing for 48 yards and rushing for 14. The rest of the yardage came on penalties against the Rams. Before that, he brought the Titans back from a 16-0 deficit to tie the game.

categories: Crime, Obituaries, Sports

9:30 - July 5, 2009

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