Suspects Detained for Questioning in Taylor Shooting

By Amy Shipley and Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, November 30, 2007 2:56 PM

MIAMI, Nov. 30 -- A relative of slain Redskins safety Sean Taylor said the family was told by Miami-Dade police Friday that the investigation has focused on three men being questioned in the Fort Myers area.

News of the break in the case was first reported by the Miami Herald on its Web site. The Herald said police were talking to the three men -- aged 17, 19 and 26 -- and police believe the men had heard someone brag about Taylor's wealth. According to that report, the men were picked up Friday morning by agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and at least two Miami-Dade homicide squads.

Taylor's relative, who asked not to be named, said family members were briefed by a detective in the case early Friday. He said police told them that the men being questioned were from Miami but had fled to Fort Myers. The family was not told the names of the men, only that one was a juvenile, he said. But, he added, it was their understanding that the men do not have a personal connection to Taylor.

A police spokesman confirmed that officials have gone to Fort Myers as part of the probe.

"Our investigators are in Fort Myers conducting an investigation," said Miami Dade police spokesperson Robert Williams. He said he had no information on who, if anyone, was being questioned.

Richard Sharpstein, a former Taylor lawyer, told the Associated Press, "It's my understanding that three individuals are in custody. A house is being searched." Sharpstein did not disclose who gave him that information.

Washington Post staff writer Jason La Canfora reports on his blog that Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, when told of the development at the team's practice facility in Ashburn, said, "I think that makes everybody around here extremely happy. We're thankful for that, and we appreciate all the hard work everybody put into that."

Running back Clinton Portis also seemed relieved. "Hopefully, these are the guys and we'll have something to cheer about and be excited about," he said. "Everybody wants to know why. But it's still not going to bring back Sean. . . . I'm sure everybody is just looking for a reason why Sean? Why him?"

Authorities have offered few details about the investigation since Taylor was shot after he and his girlfriend were awakened by an intruder at his home here early Monday. Miami-Dade police said Wednesday they have no suspects in the investigation and appealed for assistance from the public in solving the crime.

But they also said at the time that they had "no reason" to believe the break-in was anything other than a botched burglary and that the evidence suggested Taylor was a random victim. They were also investigating whether the shooting was related to a Nov. 17 break-in at Taylor's house in which someone pried open a window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed.

Even so, Taylor's childhood friend Antrel Rolle, now a cornerback with the Arizona Cardinals, and others have postulated that Taylor was targeted by someone who harbored a grudge.

"This was not the first incident," Rolle said. "They've been targeting him for three years now."

Two of Taylor's closest friends on the Redskins, Santana Moss and Clinton Portis, on Thursday gave credence to Rolle's comments because Taylor had known him since age 6.

"Antrel Rolle and Sean grew up pretty close together," Moss said. "If he knows something that we don't know, then all you can do is respect what he said. I don't know how true it is, but he might know something that we don't know."

Law enforcement observers said Thursday that the Taylor case was one of the most buttoned-down investigations they had ever encountered in the city and the lack of information has failed to bring clarity to the probe. Until Friday, the police work has produced no suspects and no witness description.

There has also been much confusion over several details. Initial reports said the phone line to the house had been cut, forcing Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, to call 911 on her cellphone. Miami-Dade police later said they found no evidence the line had been cut.

A cousin said Taylor had no security system at the home. Taylor's attorney, Richard Sharpstein, and others said he had a security system but it was disarmed on the night of the shooting. Taylor's father, the chief of police in nearby Florida City, said he simply didn't know. The police refused to comment, but the question of why a multimillionaire, high-profile athlete did not take greater security measures remained unanswered.

Taylor's friends and family said they believe the house, not Taylor, was the target of the attack for several reasons: Few people knew he had flown into town Saturday night, but many could have known about the safe in his bedroom after the earlier break-in.

They also said Taylor would never have allowed his girlfriend and their 18-month-old daughter to sleep in the house with him if he thought enemies were trying to hunt him down.

Moreover, Sharpstein said that the intruder or intruders made too much noise inside the house to have been trying to stalk Taylor. He said he based his comments on a conversation with Garcia, who along with Taylor and their daughter was the only one home at the time. "They made tons of noise out in the living room," Sharpstein said. "It's certainly not a hit."

"He definitely wasn't targeted," Hill said. "He was supposed to be with the Redskins. . . . Nobody knew he was home. His dad didn't even know he was home."

But even the explanations come with questions. Why would thieves return to a safe they had already gone through, as the Nov. 18 police report on the first break-in indicates? If Taylor was not concerned about his safety, why did he lower the hurricane shutters on his windows after the first break-in, as his attorney and a cousin have said?

Taylor had been excused from attending the Redskins' game in Tampa on Sunday because of a knee injury, and he elected to make a brief trip to Miami instead of remaining in the Washington region. Hill said Taylor picked up his girlfriend and their baby from her parents' house, where the two stay when Taylor is not in town, and spent Sunday with them.

Sharpstein said the intruder or intruders kicked in the bedroom door Monday morning and fired twice, striking Taylor -- who had grabbed a machete from under the bed -- in the femoral artery while Garcia cowered on the bed with their daughter.

Taylor's funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at a 5,000-seat arena on the campus of Florida International University.It will be open to the public, and the entire Redskins organization and players from other NFL teams are expected to attend.