Justice

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher (25) shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins (22), during a domestic dispute on December 1st.   He later turned the gun on himself after arriving at Arrowhead Stadium.  Belcher’s mother, who witnessed the murder, called 9-1-1 shortly before 8 a.m. to have Perkins rushed to the hospital but the multiple gunshots ultimately proved to be fatal.  The couple left behind a 3-month-old daughter.

Multiple sources have reported that the argument started after Perkins arrived home late after attending a Trey Songz concert.  After the first shooting, Belcher arrived at the Chief’s stadium where he approached head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli. He reportedly thanked both men for the opportunity they had given him to play for the franchise.  He then turned, walked 30 to 40 feet away, then ended his life in similar fashion.  Both Crennel and Piolo have both acknowledged that they never felt threatened.

The Chiefs, who went on to play in week 13, paid tribute to the families of both victims with an emotional moment of silence before their tilt with the Carolina Panthers the next day.  At halftime on NBC, Bob Costas delivered a 90 second monologue expressing his own opinion on gun control in America.  Social Media sites immediately exploded, both in outrage and in praise for the sportscaster’s remarks.

The events that took place in the final moments of both victims’ lives are unimaginable and the irony is, that he ended his life on the very grounds that made his dreams come true.  Though domestic violence cases are becoming an epidemic among professional athletes, especially within the National Football League, the murder-suicide of Jovan Belcher serves to prove that anything can happen even from the most unlikely candidates.