Police Search for Suspect in Sean Taylor’s Death

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Early Monday morning, Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was at home with his girlfriend and baby daughter when and intruder broke in and shot Taylor in the upper thigh. The bullet severed the femoral artery, and Taylor suffered massive blood loss.

Though he clung to life for more than 24 hours after the shooting, Taylor succumbed to his injuries early Tuesday morning. The burglary investigation has turned into a murder investigation as a result.

The incident makes a second intrusion at the Taylor home seem all the more suspicious. Last week an intruder was reported in Sean Taylor’s Miami home. The break-in occurred when the prowler entered through a window, rifled through papers and a safe, and left a knife on one of the beds. Nothing was stolen.

Questions are now being asked about the nature of the break-ins. Why was nothing stolen? Who could have wanted to harm Taylor or his family?

To add to the mystery, Taylor was not expected to be home at the time, and had only returned to see an orthopedic surgeon about a recent knee injury.

Police apparently have no leads in the case, and are asking for people who may know anything about the incident to report it to the investigators on the case.

Family, fans, and teammates of Taylor’s are devastated. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event, said Richard Sharpstein a close friend of the family, to the press. "He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously, God had other plans."

"This is a terrible, terrible tragedy," echoed Redskins owner Dan Snyder to reporters at a news conference in Virginia.

Some in the media were quick to pounce on Taylor’s sometimes troubled background, including a 2005 incident in which he was charged with felony assault and battery (later reduced to probation) after accusing a group of men of stealing two ATVs.

But close friends and family insist that the 2005 incident is irrelevant, and that Taylor was a role model who was just trying to be a decent guy and be a good father to his 18-month-old daughter.

Frank Gissoni, a marine biology teacher at the Gulliver Preparatory school where Taylor attended high school, said to reporters that Taylor was a bright student and well-liked. Gissoni, called "Mr. G" by Taylor and other students, told reporters it made him angry that the media was trying to portray Taylor as a stereotypical troubled young black man. "I knew him," said Gissoni. "People will always judge without knowing a person."

Said Taylor’s father Pedro to the press, "Many of his fans loved him because of the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him, the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him."