Jovan Belcher partied night before killing himself, girlfriend: source
Photo credit: Getty Images | Inside linebacker Jovan Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs watches from the sideline during his final game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Nov. 25, 2012)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jovan Belcher was out partying and drinking the night before he killed his girlfriend and shot himself in the head, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said Monday.
Police investigators have talked to witnesses who said Belcher was seen at several bars in the trendy Power and Light District Friday night, and appeared intoxicated hours before the shootings, the source said.
Brianna Donovan, who lives about three miles from the downtown district, said she saw Belcher on the third floor of her building knocking "very hard" on a neighbor's door between 2 and 3 a.m. Saturday. She said he was "drunk, obviously drunk" and, when she confronted him, he told her he was trying to get into the apartment of her neighbor, whom he knew by name.
He told her they had become separated while out in the district and that he was supposed to stay there, she said. Two of her neighbors came out into the hallway and agreed to let him stay in their apartment, she said, "because he couldn't go anywhere" in his condition. "He said he needed to sleep," Donovan said.
She said he asked to be awakened up around 6:30 for football practice.
He later returned to the home he shared with his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, 22, who had been out at a concert the night before, and shot her to death. He killed himself later in the parking lot of the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility.
A report by Kansas City police, released Monday, said that before Belcher's suicide, team officials tried to talk with him.
On the 911 call, an officer at the stadium said: "I've got two coaches and one other employee here [who are] trying to make with this guy. . . . I've got at least four guys standing there trying to negotiate with him. I haven't made contact."
But just after 8 a.m., Belcher "moved to an area behind a vehicle. From that position, Belcher shot himself," the report said. The 25-year-old linebacker from West Babylon was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Autopsy reports on Belcher and Perkins won't be ready for another six to eight weeks, officials said.
Police found Perkins' body at 7:52 a.m. at their home, the report said. Officers saw her on the floor of the master bathroom, with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the report.
A paramedic at the murder scene said, in his 911 call, that he was "with an early 20s female. She's been shot about three or four times, one in the chest, one in the neck and one in the abdomen. All went through." She was later pronounced dead, the report said.
Kansas City police spokesman Darin Sapp confirmed Monday that two handguns were used by Belcher, both legally registered to him."
A friend of Perkins, Lauren Hall, said Belcher and Perkins sometimes practiced at a local shooting range. "They enjoyed it," Hall said. "They both liked to shoot. He helped her learn."
The reports were released as relatives of Belcher and Perkins Monday broke their silence. Speaking from the front porch of the West Babylon home where he grew up, near a makeshift memorial , a cousin and a niece of the player read a statement.
Yamiesse Lawrence, 31, Belcher's cousin, said, "The impact that this inconceivable tragedy has had on our hearts is immeasurable; we are overwhelmed with both sadness and confusion."
Quaresha Boston, 19, Belcher’s niece, said: “We loved Jovan. His kindness, humility, respect and gratitude for family and friends were steadfast. The man we knew and loved for over 25 years embraced life and excelled at all he put his energy behind.”
She added: “Jovan was overjoyed when Kasandra gave birth to their daughter, Zoey. He was happy to be a new father, and both he and Kasandra loved Zoey greatly.”
In a statement, the Perkins family asked for privacy “as we grieve for our loved one” and said they appreciated “the outpouring of love and support.”
“Please keep us in your hearts and prayers as well as the Belcher family,” the statement said.
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and his wife, Whitney, also released a statement confirming that Perkins and Whitney Charles are cousins.
“As my actual family and my Kansas City Chief family have been altered forever, we ask that you keep us and, most importantly, their child in prayer,” the statement said.
Kansas City police said they would finish their investigation and turn it over to the Jackson County district attorney.
Also Monday, the University of Maine released a 2006 incident report that said, as a student, Belcher had cut his wrist and thumb punching a dormitory window after being “upset over a girl.”
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