Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was murdered, but police have not yet determined whether the woman found dead with him was a victim of homicide or suicide.

An autopsy this morning revealed that McNair, 36, was shot four times – twice in the head, twice in the chest. His girlfriend, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, died of a gunshot wound to the side of the head. A semi-automatic pistol was found on the floor under her body.

But it will take many days of interviews with their families and friends and witnesses who saw McNair out on the town Friday night before police will rule whether the deaths were a murder-suicide or a double homicide.

“While it is clear McNair’s death is a homicide, the police department is not classifying Kazemi’s death, pending further investigation and interviews with persons who knew her and McNair,” police spokesman Don Aaron said at press conference this afternoon.

“We can’t be close-minded,” Aaron said. “All scenarios are on the table.”

The autopsy showed the two had died in the early hours of Saturday morning, hours before their bodies were discovered by a friend of McNair’s who had a key to the Second Avenue condominium.

Police are still waiting for the results of ballistics tests that could indicate whether Kazemi’s wound was self-inflicted. Toxicology tests will take weeks.

Questions about relationship

Rumors are swirling wildly around the deaths and Aaron attempted to answer, or shoot down, the most common. The initial autopsy did not indicate that Kazemi was pregnant. Both victims were found fully clothed. It is not yet known who owns the pistol that was found at the scene. Steve McNair is listed in a state database as having a permit to carry a handgun.

Aaron said the two had been in a “dating relationship for past several months.”
Asked if the deaths could have caused by a lover’s quarrel, Aaron said, “That’s a very important part of the investigation as we work to ultimately classify Miss Kazemi’s death.”

Kazemi, who was pulled over last Thursday and charged with drunk driving while McNair was in the passenger seat of the Escalade they co-owned, has no other criminal record in Davidson County, Aaron said. Police are conducting interviews with their friends, hoping to piece together their relationship. “We’ve already begun talking to their friends to ascertain any squabbles they were having, were they upset with each other and if so, why,” Aaron said.

McNair, a hometown hero who did extensive charity work in Nashville, was found on the sofa of a Second Avenue condominium that he rented, police said.

Nashville metropolitan police spokesman Don Aaron said investigators were not actively looking for suspects Saturday night but had not ruled out any scenarios. He said the police should be able to classify the deaths today after autopsies and forensic work.

“We expect to make additional conclusions after the autopsy process,” Aaron said.
Though much of the attention was on the Second Avenue crime scene, police also swarmed Kazemi’s apartment at the Cherry Creek complex in Hermitage on Saturday. They questioned neighbors who said they often saw McNair visiting Kazemi. Sometimes, neighbors said, she would arrive home in a limousine in the early morning. They also heard arguments between her and her boyfriend.

Most recently, she had a new black car she said was a gift from her boyfriend.
She was arrested in that car, a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade registered to her and McNair, early Thursday at Broadway and Ninth Avenue, just two days before the deaths. She was charged with driving under the influence and refusing to take a breath test. She told police she was not drunk, but high.

McNair was in the car, a fact that was not in the police affidavit but was confirmed by police Saturday night. Police allowed McNair to take a cab home. He later bailed Kazemi out of jail, according to bail bondsmen.

Ex-boyfriend worried

Keith Norfleet, who said he dated Kazemi for four years before they broke up five months ago, was worried about her dating McNair, a married man. She met McNair while she was a waitress at Dave&Buster’s Grand Sports Cafe, he said.

Norfleet said he moved here with Kazemi from Jacksonville, Fla., where her family lives. She was raised by a sister. Her mother, a native of Iran, was murdered when Kazemi was 9, Norfleet said.

“She is the sweetest girl, and she did not deserve this,” Norfleet said upon learning of her death. “He was making her believe they were going to be together and everything would be perfect.”

Norfleet said they’d been speaking a lot recently and she planned to break it off with McNair. He said she banged on his apartment door early Saturday morning, but she left before he could get to the door. He spent much of Saturday afternoon looking for her and trying to find out if she was the woman who died with McNair.

“She was a very strong, independent girl. A hard worker,” said Norfleet, who had hoped to get back together with her. “She had a huge heart. She was very caring, very loving.”

Neighbors said she had turned 20 just a few weeks ago and described her as friendly and fun-loving though naive about some things. She was known as Jenny to her friends.

Tony Farahani, general manager at Dave and Buster’s at Opry Mills, said McNair frequently came to his restaurant, often bringing several people. He said he would not be surprised if McNair met Kazemi there. He described Kazemi as a solid employee, a workaholic with high energy.

“This is a tremendous shock, so unexpected. She was a bubbly girl and she was supposed to come today at 5 p.m.”

McNair’s friend found bodies

Police said Wayne Neely, a longtime friend of McNair’s who rented the condo with him, discovered the bodies in the condo shortly before 1 p.m.

Neely told police that he saw McNair on the sofa and Kazemi on the floor when he walked in, but at first did not recognize anything was wrong, police spokesman Aaron said, Neely walked into the kitchen, and when he walked out again, saw the blood. He called his friend Robert Gaddy, who made a 911 call to police, Aaron said.

“It was like something you might imagine seeing on TV or in the movies, but never imagine you would see it first-hand, to have that happen to someone you love. I am still shook up,’’ Gaddy said.

“When I walked in I knew it immediately (something was wrong). I didn’t have to touch him. I called 911 and told them they needed to get there. I was holding my breath and hoping it wasn’t true. I didn’t want to touch him but I saw blood on my best friend and I was almost panicking myself. It looked like he was gone and I didn’t want to believe it.’’

Police said Saturday they didn’t know when the shootings occurred.

Police did not release the name of the woman until late Saturday night, saying they first wanted to contact relatives. Early on, as speculation grew about the woman’s identity, police said the victim was not Mechelle McNair, Steve McNair’s wife and the mother of three of his four sons. Mechelle McNair was at the family’s home in Green Hills on Saturday and did not speak to media.

Neighbors reacts to deaths

A neighbor of the McNairs, Sandra Paschall, said she didn’t know what to expect when a celebrity athlete moved in, but they have been wonderful neighbors. She was surprised when the McNairs recently put their house up for sale. It’s listed for nearly $3 million.

As news about McNair’s death trickled out, grieving fans showed up at the downtown condominium, their sadness making it clear that McNair was much more than an athlete to the people of Nashville.

Chad Daniels, who lives near the scene, was one of the first to stop by, bringing a bouquet of flowers to show his grief.

“I think all of Nashville is pretty heartbroken over this,” he said, near tears. “He built the franchise. He built the Titans organization.”

As the day wore on, the red, white and blue outfits of the holiday were replaced with Titans blue and white. Shocked fans of all ages stopped by the crime scene on the way to see downtown fireworks, taking pictures with cell phones and calling friends to let them know the news.

Heavy rains thinned the crowd of spectators, but as the weather cleared, the cluster of onlookers swelled again. They spoke of McNair’s death as another shocking loss in the past month that saw the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

At a neighboring condominium complex, which was roped off with crime scene tape, a holiday pool party raged on amid the chaos of the investigation. Revelers relaxing in bikinis and sporadic sunshine were surprised to learn that McNair’s death was the cause for the spectacle.

Kelly McCracken and her fiance drove an hour from their home in Hopkinsville, Ky., after learning of McNair’s death. She said she wanted to pay her respects to the football hero and let his family know that he was loved.

“Anyone can get famous,” said McCracken, who attends five or more Titans games a year. “But it takes a genuinely moral person to be a leader. He wasn’t just a football player, he was a leader.”

Fans also went to McNair’s new restaurant, Gridiron9, near the Tennessee State University campus, to share their grief and leave memories of their longtime quarterback.

The family issued a statement through McNair’s longtime agent, Bus Cook.
“The families of Steve McNair in Mississippi and Tennessee appreciate the concern, thoughts and prayers during this difficult time of our loss of a husband, father and son. The family requests everyone would allow them time to mourn.

“The McNair family appreciates and continues to request your prayers at this time."

McNair’s Super Bowl run

McNair, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, led the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, which they lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams. He was co-MVP of the NFL with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2003. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in April 2008.

His most notable moment came in the 2000 Super Bowl. With the Titans trailing by seven, he led the team 87 yards in the final minute and 48 seconds, only to come up a yard short of a touchdown. Kevin Dyson caught his 9-yard pass, but was tackled at the 1-yard line by the Rams’ Mike Jones.

McNair accounted for all of Tennessee’s yards in that drive, throwing for 48 yards and rushing for 14. The rest of the yardage came on penalties against the Rams. Before that, he brought the Titans back from a 16-0 deficit to tie the game.

College career highlights

McNair grew up in rural Mount Olive, Miss., and became a nationally known college football star playing for Alcorn State, a Division I-AA school in his home state. He was so dominant in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, he became a Heisman Trophy contender. National media flocked to little Lorman in the southwest corner of the Magnolia state to get a look at “Air McNair.” He still holds the Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823).

McNair was the third overall draft pick in 1995 by the Houston Oilers, who eventually became the Titans. He finished his career with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns. McNair’s rugged style led to numerous injuries and aches. He played with pain for several years, and the injuries ultimately forced him to retire.

“On the field, there isn’t a player that was as tough as him, especially at the quarterback position,” the Ravens’ Derrick Mason said.

During a five-game stretch at the end of the 2002 season, McNair was so bruised he couldn’t practice. But he started all five games and won them, leading the Titans to an 11-5 record and a berth in the AFC championship game for the second time in four seasons.

McNair played all 16 games in 2006, his first season in Baltimore, and guided the Ravens to a 13-3 record. But he injured his groin during the season opener in 2007 and never regained the form that put him in those Pro Bowls.