NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Steve McNair was the victim of a homicide, authorities investigating the former NFL star’s death confirmed Sunday.
The 36-year-old McNair, who led the Tennessee Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, was found dead Saturday at his condominium in downtown Nashville, Tenn. Officials said the quarterback was shot twice in both the head and chest.
Sahel Kazemi, a 20-year-old woman that the married McNair had reportedly been dating for several months, was also found dead. She was found lying nearby with a single gunshot to the head.
Authorities discovered a gun next to Kazemi’s body, but they have yet to rule the shooting as a murder-suicide. Officials are still looking into who owned the weapon discovered at the scene, but McNair did have a permit to carry a handgun.
The bodies were discovered in the afternoon by Wayne Neeley, a longtime friend of McNair’s who rented the condo with him.
McNair’s wife, Mechelle, whom he married in 1997, was described as “very distraught.” She and her husband were parents to four children, all sons. Police said she is not likely involved in the shooting.
Details about McNair’s relationship with Kazemi are still fuzzy. It is believed that the pair met while Kazemi was working as a waitress at the restaurant Dave & Busters.
On Thursday, Nashville police arrested Kazemi on a DUI charge. The 2007 Escalade that she was driving was registered to her and McNair. The four-time Pro Bowler was a passenger and allowed to leave by taxi following the arrest.
