Family and friends gathered to pay their respects and memorialize Kasandra Perkins, the 22-year-old woman fatally shot by her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, in Blue Ridge, Texas Dec. 6.
Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend Perkins and then turned a gun on himself early the morning of Saturday, Dec. 1, committing suicide in front of his coach and general manager at Arrowhead Stadium, local police said.
Police spokesman Darin Snapp confirmed it was Belcher, a fourth-year player from West Babylon, who played college ball at Maine. Police say there is currently no known motive, although did mention that the couple had been arguing a lot lately. The 25-year-old professional football player, and Perkins leave behind an infant child.
Belcher reportedly got into a heated argument with Perkins at her Kansas City home around 7 a.m., The Kansas City Star reported. At about 7:50 a.m. Belcher shot Perkins multiple times, says the newspaper.
Police said afterwards, Belcher fled the scene, and drove to the Chiefs' practice facility near Arrowhead Stadium. Belcher reportedly thanked general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel before fatally shooting himself in the parking lot outside the team's practice facility, police spokesman Darin Snapp said.
Perkins' family has asked for privacy since the horrific event, but following her funeral services, her great uncle Ted Downing spoke to the media and answered questions. "She was a wonderful girl and memorialized well," he said.
After the tragic shooting, Perkins became a national symbol for domestic violence, but family members said she was so much more.
"She was the quintessential happy person. It's hard to not picture Kasi smiling. She was always laughing. She liked to tease," Downing said. "She's just a happy girl who loved everybody and wanted everybody to love each other."
A second memorial for Perkins will be held in Austin, where she will be laid to rest.
Since Perkins' funeral, police released a video Friday taken shortly before the tragedy occurred. The video, taken from a camera on the dashboard of a police car, shows three officers talking to Belcher after they received a 911 call about someone sleeping in a black Bentley outside an apartment building.
Belcher cooperated with the officers, saying that he was heading to see a woman who lived in an apartment on the corner of Armour and Holmes Streets.
Though Belcher had reportedly been drinking, he was not arrested or cited. The officer did offer a warning, though, "You know you've got a lot riding on this. You know you've got a lot to lose," he said.
Recently, the NFL has announced it will support Belcher and Perkins's three-month-old daughter, Zoey, who was orphaned by the tragedy. Zoey will receive $108,000 a year for four years, according to NFL.com. When she turns 5, she will get $48,000, then $52,000 a year until she is 18 or 23, depending on whether she goes to college.
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