Officials will fatally shoot the brains of Phillip Adams, the former professional footballer accused of shooting a doctor in South Carolina, three family members and a repairman before killing himself, on ‘ a degenerative disease is tested.
York coroner Sabrina Gast said in a statement to the media on Friday that Adams’ family had allowed her to do the investigation as part of his autopsy. The investigation is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Boston.
The autopsy will be an attempt to test for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The disease has been found in a number of other former footballers who have repeatedly suffered brain trauma.
Guest did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
According to authorities, Adams, 33, went to the home of a prominent doctor, 70-year-old Robert Lesslie, on Wednesday afternoon. Police found Lesslie, along with his wife, 69-year-old Barbara Lesslie, and their two grandchildren dead with gunshot wounds. James Lewis, an air-conditioning technician who worked at home on Wednesday, was also killed.
Adams was found dead in his parental home shortly after midnight with a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Lesslie apparently treated Adams. Police are still searching for a motive in the shooting.