Law enforcement authorities in South Florida on Wednesday called the fatal shooting of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor a “random occurrence” and asked the public for help in solving the case.
Miami-Dade Police Director Robert Parker said detectives have found no evidence that Taylor knew the person who shot him.
“We have no reason to think that this was anything other than a burglary or robbery involving an intruder,” Parker said. “(We have) no theory, but I think the issue is a case of a random burglary.”
Parker said investigators are following several leads and believed the public holds some clues that will help lead authorities to Taylor’s killer.
Police continue to explore any possible connection to a Nov. 17 break-in at Taylor’s home in which someone entered through a front window and left a kitchen knife on a bed.
Taylor, 24, was home asleep with his girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and their 1-year-old daughter early Monday when they were awakened by a noise in the house, authorities said.
Taylor grabbed a machete, told his girlfriend to remain in bed, ran toward the sound of the noise and then was shot.
Police do not have a description of the suspect because Taylor’s girlfriend was unable to see the intruder, Parker said.
Taylor died the next day as doctors scrambled to repair a severed femoral artery from a single gunshot wound.
Dr. Fahim Habib, a trauma surgeon at the hospital where Taylor died, said the femoral artery is one of the largest veins in the body and massive blood loss sets into motion a series of devastating events that can lead to death.
“You can repair the vessel, but the damage has been done,” Habib said.
Anyone with any information can call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
