PRO BALL PLAYER SEAN TAYLOR KILLED IN HOME INVASION:

A Tragedy That Could Have Been Avoided?

As we have all learned, Sean Taylor, starter for the Washington Redskins, died Tuesday after he was shot in what at first glance appears to be a home invasion.

According to a preliminary investigation, “it appears that the victim was shot inside the home by an intruder,” Miami-Dade County police said in a statement. The attack came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor’s home. In last week’s break-in, police said someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed. The shooting happened in the house Taylor bought two years ago. Officers were sent to the home about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor’s girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted after the shooting and died around 5:30 a.m. Taylor was 24 years old. He was on probation at the time of the shooting, which is probably why he was not in possession of a firearm. He kept a machete in the bedroom for protection.

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What a tragedy. This man was so young. He had made mistakes, but seemed to be turning his life around. I would just like to say that I cannot help but wonder why someone with his wealth and notoriety would not have a home alarm system in place. If they did have one, did someone forget to set it? It just seems this all could have been avoided if some basic security procedures had been in place. The fact that someone on probation cannot have a firearm for personal protection (especially when s/he is a celebrity and therefore potentially more of a target) seems to have played a crucial role in this tragedy. If Taylor had a shotgun in his home, which I believe is the best weapon for home defense, this situation might have ended differently.

I’ve heard comments from some people that a person could even keep an unloaded gun on hand, just to “frighten” any would-be criminals. I heartily disagree with this. If you are going to pick up and point a gun at someone, you better be prepared to use it. The fact that there had been an intruder who broke in and left a knife behind eight days earlier, should have prompted Taylor and his father (who is Chief of Police in a Southern Florida City) to beef up protection since Taylor wasn’t allowed to be in possession of a fire arm to protect himself and his family.

What are your thoughts?