Former NFL player opens fire, kills 5 in South Carolina, and commits suicide

A well-known emergency room doctor, his wife, their two grandchildren, ages 9 and 5, and a family employee died Wednesday afternoon in a

shooting at a home

 near the city of Rock Hill, in York County, in South Carolina.

York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson reported Thursday afternoon at a news conference that the suspect in the shooting is former NFL player Phillip Adams, who committed suicide early Thursday morning after committing the crime.

"

There is nothing in this that makes sense to any of us

," the sheriff said.   

Tolson said that around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a call for shooting at a home at 4400 Marshall Road.

During the press conference, the sheriff reproduced the

calls received by 911

to reporters

.

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Eight minutes after receiving the call, the agents arrived at the scene and

found 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie with gunshot wounds;

his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69;

and her grandchildren, ages 9 and 5.

James Lewis, 38, an air conditioning technician doing some work for the family at the time, was also shot.

They all died at the scene.

Robert Lesslie, 70, a renowned emergency room physician, was attacked inside his home in York County, South Carolina, via NBC News.

Tolson said Adams' motive for the crime is unknown.

The suspect's relationship with the victims is also unknown.

He noted that there are no indications so far that there was a doctor-patient relationship. 

He added that they recovered

evidence at the crime scene that linked Adams 

to the shooting, so investigators went looking for the former player, who lived with his parents near the doctor's home. 

After police tried to convince the former player to leave the home and turn himself in to authorities,

Adams was found dead

in a bedroom of his residence after shooting himself in the head, the sheriff said.

A sixth person was injured

in the shooting, which authorities say is in critical condition. 

NFL player Phillip Adams was found shot in the head at his residence after committing the crime.

AP

 Authorities had earlier reported that the suspect in the shooting had been identified after an arduous pursuit of several hours. 

"We have identified the person we believe is responsible for the shooting," said Trent Faris, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. 

Dr. Lesslie and

his family were "very prominent and well known"

in the county, Faris said, adding that he has lived his entire life in the area and that "Dr. Lesslie was my childhood doctor."

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A shooting in South Carolina leaves five dead, two of them children

April 8, 202101: 01

"The doctor was one of those people that everyone knew. He created Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill and has been an essential person in Rock Hill for years," Faris said.

Lesslie worked and managed various Charlotte emergency rooms for more than 25 years.

He was also the medical director of the emergency department for nearly 15 years at Rock Hill General Hospital, according to his LinkedIn profile.

 “My wife Barbara and I have

been married for 40 years

.

We have raised four children and now we have 6 grandchildren, ”says the doctor's biography on the social network for professionals.

With information from NBC News