NFL's Sean Taylor dies of gunshot wound

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died Tuesday, a day after he was shot by "an intruder who forcibly entered his residence," Miami police said.
Sean Taylor never regained consciousness after being taken to a hospital, says his ex-attorney.

Police said in a statement that Taylor, 24, died at 3:30 a.m. at a Miami hospital and they were treating the case as a homicide.
"The blood loss was too much. He didn't make it," said Taylor's former attorney, Richard Sharpstein, on CNN's "American Morning."
Many of Taylor's fans "loved him because [of] the way he played football," said his father, Florida City Police Chief Pedro Taylor, in a statement to the news media. Watch fans mourn Taylor's death »
"Many of his opponents feared him, the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him. I can only hope and pray that Sean's life was not in vain that it might touch others in a special way," Chief Taylor said.
His father said funeral arrangements would be announced soon, while a makeshift memorial was already sprouting up outside the Redskins Park, where fans have been leaving flowers and other mementoes.
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Team owner Daniel Snyder called Taylor's killing "the worst imaginable tragedy."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Sean's family," Snyder said in a statement.
The Redskins will paint Taylor's jersey number, "21," in a grassy area on the road leading into Redskins Park, and his number will be painted outside the Redskins Hall of Fame store at FedExField.
Sharpstein said that from the time of the attack, Taylor never regained consciousness.
"There was a brief moment where a nurse felt him squeeze her hand but that was false hope," the attorney said.
He called Taylor's death "completely tragic and unnecessary violence" and said he would be sorely missed.
"People loved him and he will be long missed by many, many people -- not just his fans, but the family and friends that knew him well," Sharpstein said.
At 1:45 a.m. Monday, a woman identified as Taylor's girlfriend called 911 and said someone had been shot. Taylor was airlifted to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told police what happened as she was hiding under bedcovers during the attack. Watch Sharpstein describe Taylor's death »
Sean Taylor
· Born: April 1, 1983
· High School: Gulliver Prep, Miami
· Father: Pedro Taylor, Florida City, Florida, police chief
· Daughter: Jackie, 1 year
· 2003 All-American, University of Miami
· First round, fifth pick 2004 NFL draft
· Fined at least seven times for NFL infractions
· Played in 2006 Pro Bowl
· Reputation as one of hardest NFL hitters

Source: AP, NFL
"Sean was awakened with his girlfriend and 18-month old baby," Sharpstein said. There were "noises, thumps in the living room." Taylor "got up and locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything, the door was kicked in and two shots were fired -- one hit him in the leg, one went into the wall."
Taylor "was on the floor, non-responsive, bleeding out and chest heaving, eyes rolled back and he was pretty much gone from that point on," Sharpstein said.
Taylor's girlfriend "tried to call 911 and it's unclear whether the phone lines were cut or the phone was broken or off or unplugged or turned off," said Sharpstein. "She had to use her cell phone to eventually call 911."
"Whether this was a purposeful action in taking Sean's life or in shooting him or whether it was a burglary gone awry, the police are still investigating those circumstances," Sharpstein said.
The attorney said Taylor was home unexpectedly due to an injury, and "no one expected him there."
"I think he was surprised or they were surprised to find him there," Sharpstein said.
Lt. Nancy Perez with the Miami-Dade Police Department said investigators were looking for an "unknown suspect."
Taylor's home also was reported broken into eight days earlier on November 18, according to Miami-Dade police.
During that incident, someone forced open a window and left a kitchen knife on a bed, according to the police report. Several drawers and a bedroom safe had been searched during the break-in, the report said.
No one knows whether the first invasion is related to Monday's attack, Sharpstein said. "It is a high probability that it was the same people or some related people that returned."
According to the police report, Taylor's mother reported the break-in, saying it occurred while the house was empty. Police found a window pried open, but could not confirm if anything was missing.
Observers searching for a motive for his killing put Taylor's police record under renewed scrutiny. In 2005, he was arrested after he was accused of waving a gun at people he believed were stealing his all-terrain vehicles, according to Sharpstein.
"He got into fisticuffs, but no gun," Sharpstein said.
After originally being charged with aggravated assault, Taylor pleaded to a misdemeanor battery in the case, Sharpstein said. A civil suit stemming from the case remains open. "There's still a lot of open ends to that," he said.
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs called the incident a "tragedy" and said neither he nor the team had "experienced anything like this."
Taylor spent four years with the Redskins and was recovering from a sprained right knee at the time of the attack. He didn't play in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which the Redskins lost 19-13.
Taylor was a first-round pick in the 2004 draft, according to his team's Web site. He played at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003. He had been a high school standout in the city.
Dubbing him as "the prototype NFL free safety" the Redskins credited Taylor's team-leading tackling prowess for sending him to his first Pro Bowl after 2006.
He was regarded as one of the hardest hitting players in the league. Taylor recorded 257 tackles (206 solo) during his brief career, two sacks and seven interceptions, according to the team Web site