Luke Judge

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ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s eyeswere red. His voice cracked and was barely audible. Next to him satcoach Joe Gibbs, barely more composed.

Safety Sean Taylor ’s violent death had left his team in tearsand a league in mourning.

“This is a terrible, terrible tragedy,” Snyder said.

Taylor died early Tuesday of a gunshot wound from an apparentintruder, a tragic end for a 24-year-old whose life was transformedby the birth of a daughter 18 months ago.

“We’re going to miss him,” Gibbs said. “I’m not talking aboutas a player. I’m talking about as a person.”

A day earlier, Taylor and his girlfriend were awakened by loudnoises, according to family friend Richard Sharpstein, who learnedthe details from Taylor’s girlfriend, Jackie Garcia. he said Taylorgrabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someonethen broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, onemissing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Neither Taylor’sdaughter, Jackie, nor Taylor’s girlfriend were injured in theattack.

The bullet damaged the femoral artery in Taylor’s leg, causingsignificant blood loss. Taylor never regained consciousness,Sharpstein said, and the news that he had squeezed a nurse’s handlate Monday only proved to give false hope.

“Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something,” Sharpsteinsaid.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said he did not know why Taylorreturned to Miami during the weekend. Taylor was not required toaccompany the team to Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay because of a kneeinjury.

Police had no description of a possible suspect and wereinvestigating whether the shooting was connected to a break-in atTaylor’s home eight days earlier, in which police said someonepried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left akitchen knife on a bed.

“They’re going to be looking at every angle,” Miami-DadePolice spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said. “They’re going to belooking at every lead.”

Authorities from Miami-Dade Police and the federal Bureau ofAlcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were in and out ofTaylor’s home throughout the day. Police were seen taking acomputer from Taylor’s home.

A stream of family and friends arrived throughout the day,including his father, Florida City police chief Pedro Taylor. Someembraced outside; most came and went without speaking to a group ofseveral dozen reporters.

Outside Pedro Taylor’s home in suburban Miami-Dade County, thefront lawn was filled with friends and family members who seemed tobe in good spirits. Small children ran through the yard.

Several people brought large platters of food into the house.when he arrived home, he was met with embrace after embrace byfriends and family members.

“We’re all hurting,” Taylor said. “I mean that’s my child.”

Taylor spoke privately with Miami-Dade homicide detectives andexpressed confidence in the police investigation, but couldn’tprovide additional information.

Speaking of the killer, Taylor said: “I think one day he’llcome to grips with himself and say, ‘You know what, it wassenseless’ and he’ll turn himself in.”

The elder Taylor said he last saw his son a few weeks ago at afootball game in Washington.

“We had a wonderful time,” he said. “We laughed and joked andstayed up until 3 o’clock in the morning. we did what fathers anddads do and brothers and sisters, we just enjoyed each other.”

according to The Miami Herald, Garcia arrived at the father’shouse with her daughter but declined to speak with reporters.

Dressed in black and clutching her 18-month-old baby, Garciapulled up to Taylor’s father’s house in a black Mercedes.

With her brown hair held in a ponytail with a black band, Garciacarried her baby girl into the house. she was accompanied by hersister, and her father, Rene. The baby, wearing a pink bow in herhair and pink sneakers, was asleep in her mother’s arms.

Taylor’s father described the relationship between Garcia andhis son as close, and “a bond that can’t be broken.”

Taylor said his son had grasped fatherhood “with opens arms,”and it was part of his evolution from childhood to adulthood. Askedif Sean ever disappointed him, Taylor said he always tried to guidehim.

“We all have high expectations, but we all understand thateveryone has to travel the road and there are going to be somemishaps,” he said. “But guess what? That’s what we’re here for tosteer them in the right direction.”

Back in Virginia, the Redskins struggled to cope and share theirloss.

“I have never dealt with this,” Gibbs said. “We’re going onehour at a time here.”

Gibbs said he planned to have the team practice as scheduledWednesday, following a prayer service, in preparation for Sunday’shome game against the Buffalo Bills. Snyder said the Redskins willhonor Taylor by wearing a patch on their jerseys and the no. 21 ontheir helmets. The league is expected to decide Wednesday how theleague will pay tributes to Taylor at this weekend’s games.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Sean’s family, friends, teammates, and the Redskins’ organization. this is a terrible tragedy involving the loss of a young man who leaves behind many people struggling to understand it,” commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Our office is staying in close contact with the Redskins to provide all appropriate support to the club and Sean’s family. we also are working to determine the facts surrounding this tragic event. we will honor the memory of Sean Taylor at all games this weekend.”

There is little precedence on how to go forward, althoughseveral teams have dealt with tragedy in recent years. Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-byshooting on new Year’s Day, the day after the season ended in aplayoff loss. San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herriondied of a heart attack after a preseason game in September 2005.Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer died of heatstroke at atraining camp practice in 2001. Philadelphia Eagles defensive endJerome McDougle was shot in the stomach by three armed robbers insouthwest Miami in July 2005 and missed the following season.

Gibbs, Taylor’s family and his teammates, past and present, didtheir best to describe a player very few got to know.

“Sean has been a close friend of mine since our days at theUniversity of Miami,” New York Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma saidin a statement. “He was a great teammate and an even greaterperson. It is so hard for me to fathom that I am not going to beable to pick up the phone to call him.”

Taylor had a great smile and a menacing sneer. he was extremelytalented — fast and powerful — and genuinely had a chance to becomeone of the best safeties ever to play in the NFL.

“What got cut short here was a career that was going to go to alot of Pro Bowls and have a lot of fun,” Gibbs said.

“I am devastated over the loss of Sean Taylor,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “When he was a student at the University of Miami, I got to know him as a person and as a football player. he was passionate about everything he did and was a great friend to his teammates. My thoughts are with his family.”

Taylor was having the best season of his career on the field andhad stayed out of trouble off the field since the birth of hisdaughter, Jackie, in may 2006. he was becoming a leader, and histeammates had elected him to the players’ committee that meetsregularly with Gibbs.

“I saw a real maturing process,” Gibbs said.

he wasn’t the only one to notice changes in Taylor after hisdaughter’s birth.

“He was kind of a wild child, like myself,” said New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey, who played with Taylor at theUniversity of Miami and worked out with him in the offseason. “Butlife changed for Sean after he had his baby girl. Fatherhood reallychanged him. he grew up and matured.”

Redskins running back Clinton Portis agreed.

“It’s hard to expect a man to grow up overnight,” Portis said.”But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, andeverybody around here knew it. he was always smiling, always happy,always talking about his child.”

Private and slow to trust anyone, Taylor rarely grantedinterviews. during his last known full-length interview, conductedwith WTEM-AM in September, he spoke of the joy he felt when he madehis daughter laugh, how he wanted to give her life experiencesdifferent from his own, and how he did not fear death.

“You can’t be scared of death,” he told the radio station.”When that time comes, it comes. … You never see a person whohas lived their life to the fullest. they sometimes feel sorry forlike a child, maybe, that didn’t get a chance to do some of thethings they thought that child might have had a chance to do inlife. I’ve been blessed. God’s looked out for me, so, I’m happy.”

Still, Taylor, drafted no. 5 overall by the Redskins in April2004, got off to a rocky start in the NFL.

he had a drunken driving charge that was later dismissed. Heskipped part of the NFL’s mandatory rookie symposium. he fired twoagents. he didn’t like his contract. he refused to return Gibbs’calls during the offseason. and he was fined at least seven timesfor late hits, uniform violations and other on-field infractions.

In 2005, he was accused of pointing a gun during a fight overall-terrain vehicles near his Miami home, a legal battle that endeda year later when he pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and wassentenced to probation.

recently, Taylor indeed was starting to make his past seemirrelevant. The baby helped him gain perspective, and other changeswere making him a better football player.

Early in his career, linebacker LaVar Arrington nicknamed Taylor”The Grim Reaper.” Taylor could hit as hard as anyone in the NFL,but he often went for the big impact at the expense of playingbasic football. he would take wrong angles and miss tackles. Evenso, he was enough of a presence to make the Pro Bowl last season.

this season, Taylor improved his diet and workout regimen andwas given a new role. Instead of playing a hybrid safety position,he was a true free safety. he used speed and power to chase passesand intimidate receivers. His five interceptions tie for the leaguelead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games becauseof a sprained knee.

“You think back to how much heat he took for everything,”Portis said. “For missing camp, for not beingaround for this or that, for missing the rookie symposium. You cometo the realization that all of that means nothing.”

Information from The associated Press was used in this report.

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