Feb 8, 2008 9:20 pm US/Eastern
Autopsy: Bullet Tore Through Sean Taylor's Thighs
Bullet Stuck His Right Femoral Artery Before Entering Left Thigh
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
The autopsy of NFL player Sean Taylor details how the Washington Redskins player died of a gunshot wound last November after being shot at his South Florida home.
The bullet that killed Taylor ripped first through his right leg and then the other, and possibly came from a 9mm handgun, an autopsy released Thursday said.
The report, obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request filed after Taylor's Nov. 27 death, notes a bullet perforated the soft tissues and muscles of the right groin and the right femoral artery, a crucial pathway for blood.
The bullet tore through muscles of Taylor's upper right thigh, according to the report from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner, then exited the leg and entered the athlete's left thigh.
A Miami-Dade police report to the medical examiner identified the weapon as a handgun, possibly a 9mm.
Aside from the bullet wounds and a small abrasion on Taylor's right bicep, no other injuries were noted on the player's body. Toxicology tests found no drugs in Taylor's system.
Police said Taylor was a victim of a botched robbery when he was shot in his bedroom at about 1:46 a.m. on Nov. 26., in his Palmetto Bay home. A day later, at 2:41 a.m., he was placed on life support.
He was pronounced dead at 3:35 a.m. on Nov. 27. The autopsy was performed later that day.
The report notes Taylor's numerous tattoos, including "Donna," the name of his mother, on his left arm and a passage from Psalms with hands folded in prayer and the phrase "God Forgive Me" on his left shoulder and upper left arm.
The four men charged with first-degree felony murder and armed burglary in the case are Jason Mitchell, 19; Charles Wardlow, 18; Venjah Hunte, 20; and the accused gunman, Eric Rivera, 17.
All remain behind bars while awaiting trial which is tentatively scheduled for April.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
