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Jovan Belcher Was Legal Owner Of Handgun Used In Shooting Tragedy

Jovan Belcher legally owned the handgun police say he used to fatally shoot his girlfriend and take his own life on Saturday morning.

Kansas City Police spokesman Darin Snapp said he believes Belcher used the same gun in both shootings, which happened within about 20 minutes of each other Saturday morning.

Belcher fired multiple shots, though police are not saying how many, at Kasandra Perkins after an argument at their home in southeast Kansas City. The 25-year-old linebacker then made a 10-minute drive in his black Bentley to the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility, where he fired one fatal shot to his head after talking to Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, head coach Romeo Crennel and an assistant coach in the parking lot, police said.

Snapp said Belcher had legally purchased the handgun he used on Saturday.

“We know he owned more than one gun. He wasn’t a collector, but he had several,” Snapp said.

Kansas City police will be completing their investigation and turning over their reports to the Jackson County District Attorney’s office in coming days.

The Kansas City Medical Examiner’s Office completed autopsies on the bodies of both Belcher and Perkins on Monday. The coroner will not release partial autopsy results, including cause of death, until the full autopsy reports are completed in more than a month. The full autopsy report will include the results of toxicology tests.

Belcher was not public honored at Arrowhead Stadium the day following the tragedy, but his locker was set up Sunday morning just as it would have before any game day. His red No. 59 jersey was draped on a hanger, his red helmet and white pants hanging on hooks. His shoulder pads were there, as well as a pair of cleats.

The bodies of Perkins and Belcher have been released to their families, and funeral arrangements are pending.

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