Tragedy at Arrowhead - Belcher suicide

The shooting took place at 8:10 am local time on Saturday at the team's facility near Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Police Communication Supervisor Kathy Childs said.

Belcher also was suspected of murdering a 22-year-old woman described by police as his "on-again, off-again" girlfriend at a nearby residence before driving to the training facility.

Police have not released the woman's name, but confirmed she and Belcher had a 3-month-old child.

"About (7:50 a.m), we got a call to a residence, in regards to a shooting, on the 5400 block of Crysler Ave.," Snapp said by phone. "We arrived and the lady there informed us that her daughter had been shot by her on-again, off-again boyfriend. The young woman was taken to a local hospital, where she died a short time later.

"At about 8:10 a.m., we received a call to the Arrowhead practice facility in regards to a black male armed with a gun in the parking lot, and he matched the description of the shooting suspect," Snapp continued.

"Officers arrived, saw a black man with a gun to his head, and some Chiefs employees. As the officer got out of his car, he heard a gunshot. It appeared the individual shot himself. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead."

According to Kansas City police Spokesman Darin Snapp, Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, coach Romeo Crennel and another unnamed Chiefs staff member were talking to Belcher just before he shot himself, Breer and NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported. Snapp said Pioli and Crennel "never felt like they were in danger." Belcher thanked Pioli and Crennel for all that they had done for him.

When officers arrived, Belcher walked in the opposite direction from where they were all standing.

He then shot himself.

Snapp said the shooting occurred outside the front doors of the facility. The Chiefs released a statement in regard to the incident: "We can confirm that there was an incident at Arrowhead earlier this morning. We are cooperating with authorities in their investigation."

The Chiefs game with the Carolina Panthers went ahead tonight, with Kansas City snapping a losing streak to win 27-21.

After going undrafted in 2009, the Chiefs signed Belcher as a free agent. The fourth-year player was named a starting Linebacker in 2011 and would go on to amass 257 tackles, 193 individual, and 64 shared.

We often have a tendency to view multi - millionaire sportsmen as over embellished egotists removed from the realities of normal life, but today, real life came to Arrowhead Stadium in the form of a deeply troubled young man showing conflictions possible of any human being, irrespective of standing and occupation.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the individuals and families affected by this appalling tragedy.

image: © jimchou

Richard Moore

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The moment David Tyree conjured that miraculous feat of improvisation with the Patriots clinging to a 14 - 10 lead with little over 1:15 to go of Superbowl 42, I went from being a mildly interested spectator to a dedicated fan of this truly beguiling sport, which for me comes to represent the ultimate in sporting theater. Its the perfect marriage of physical endurance, tactical astuteness, which so often merge to create the ultimate in sporting unpredictability, going from the sublime to the ridiculous within minutes, and delivering scenarios deemed beyond the realms of possibility before a season has even begun.

Aside from the cauldron of sporting drama that so often encapsulates all that is great about Gridiron, I've always had a keen interest in all manner of sports ranging from tennis to our own version of the beautiful game, a reality that's lead me on a determined journey to establish myself as a credible sports writer in my own right, and by doing it in way that channels the passion of the crowds through my words.