Police: 4 Arrested in Taylor's Slaying
By LISA ORKIN EMMANUEL
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI — The Miami-Dade Police Department arrested four people Friday and charged them with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.
Police spokeswoman Linda O'Brien identified the men as: Venjah K. Hunte, 20; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 17; and Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18.
Taylor died Tuesday, one day after being shot at his home in an affluent Miami suburb during what officials said appeared to be an attempted burglary. The suspects weren't expecting Taylor to be home, police director Robert Parker said, but Taylor was recuperating from a knee injury and had returned to Miami from Washington.
"They were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone," Parker said. He added authorities had more than one confession but would not elaborate.
"We're looking into whether or not one or more of the individuals had been at the residence before," Parker said.
The Miami Herald reported investigators believe the men learned of Taylor's house through someone who unwittingly set up the burglary by bragging about Taylor's wealth.
Taylor and longtime girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened early Monday by loud noises at Taylor's home, family friend Richard Sharpstein said. Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection, Sharpstein said, then someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor in the upper leg. Neither the couple's 18-month-old daughter, also named Jackie, nor Garcia were injured.
The bullet damaged the femoral artery in Taylor's leg, causing significant blood loss. Taylor never regained consciousness and died a little more than 24 hours later.
A public viewing for Taylor is scheduled Sunday in Miami, and the entire Redskins organization plans to fly to Florida to attend Monday's funeral at Pharmed Arena at Florida International University.
The Redskins also announced that fans attending the team's Sunday game will receive a towel with Taylor's No.21 jersey on it and that his name will be displayed prominently in one of the end zones. Team owner Dan Snyder said in a statement the team will contribute a minimum of $500,000 to a fund to benefit Taylor's daughter.
