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Police: NcNair death a homicide

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Shot twice in the head and two more times in the chest, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was the victim of a homicide, police declared Sunday. But authorities wouldn’t say it was a murder-suicide—even with his 20-year-old girlfriend dead at his feet from a single bullet.

McNair had been dating Sahel Kazemi for several months, and Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Sunday that a semiautomatic pistol was found under her body. She was shot in the head.

McNair, who was married with four sons, had a permit to carry a handgun in Tennessee, and he was arrested once before with a 9mm weapon although charges in the case were dropped. Police said they had not yet determined who owned the gun found at the scene.

Investigators were waiting for results of drug and other lab tests before deciding whether McNair was killed in a lovers’ quarrel.

McNair and Kazemi were found dead at a Nashville condominium—which overlooks the Titans stadium—that he rented with his friend Wayne Neeley. Police believe both died early Saturday. Neeley found the bodies hours later, and called a friend, Robert Gaddy, who played at Alcorn State with McNair.

What McNair’s wife knew wasn’t clear Sunday.

“It doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what to say,” said Bus Cook, McNair’s agent.

McNair recently opened a restaurant near Tennessee State University that was aimed at serving healthy, affordable food.

McNair met Kazemi when his family ate often at the Dave & Buster’s restaurant she worked at as a server, and began dating.

The victim’s sister, Soheyla Kazemi, told the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville that the young woman had expected McNair to get a divorce. “She said they were planning to get married.”

Kazemi often was dropped off by limousine in the early morning hours and recently went from driving a Kia to a 2007 Cadillac Escalade registered to both herself and McNair. Her niece told The Tennessean that Kazemi thought McNair was divorcing his wife of 12 years soon.

Nashville courts had no record of a McNair divorce case, but a home he owned in Nashville is on the market for $3 million.

McNair and Kazemi were together Thursday night when she was pulled over driving that Escalade. She was arrested on a DUI charges, and he was allowed to leave in a taxi even though he was charged with drunken driving in 2007 when his brother-in-law was stopped for DUI while driving McNair’s pickup truck.