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Kansas City Chiefs Player Kills Self, Girlfriend

By: Melisa Goh // December 1, 2012
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A Kansas City Chiefs player shot and killed himself at Arrowhead Stadium early Saturday morning after fatally shooting his girlfriend.

Police say linebacker Jovan Belcher, 25, shot the woman at her home, then drove to a training facility at the stadium just east of Kansas City, Mo. When police arrived at the scene, according to reporter Laura Ziegler of member station KCUR, they found Belcher with a pistol to his head, thanking team coaches for everything they had done for him.

"Belcher later walked away from the coaches," Ziegler tells NPR's Newscast desk. "And in front of the police and his coaches, he then shot himself."

The name of the woman has not been released. Police tell The Kansas City Star that she and Belcher were arguing before he shot her multiple times. The woman's mother and 2-month-old daughter were home when the shooting occurred.

Arrowhead Stadium has been placed on lockdown. The team released a statement on its website confirming "an incident" and its cooperation with the investigation. The Chiefs are scheduled to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and, as The Associated Press reports, the league has informed the Panthers to keep their travel plans.

Update at 2:57 p.m. ET: Belcher's Girlfriend Identified

Police have now identified Belcher's girlfriend as 22-year-old Kasandra M. Perkins.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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