The community of Rock Hill, South Carolina is mourning the loss of Dr. Robert Lesslie, a well-known ER doctor in the area. The suspected gunman took his own life following an 8-hour manhunt.
A quiet South Carolina community is grappling with the fatal shootings of a beloved family doctor and his wife. Robert and Barbara Lesslie were found shot dead in their Rock Hill home on Wednesday.
The couple’s 5- and 9-year-old grandchildren and James Lewis, a man working on the property, were also killed in the shooting. A sixth person was shot and taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The suspected gunman was identified as 32-year-old Phillip Adams, a star athlete from a local high school who went on to play in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets, among others. He left the NFL in 2015 after six seasons and reportedly moved back to his hometown.
Adams reportedly took his own life as cops closed in on his house following an 8-hour manhunt. A reporter spoke to Adams’ devastated father.
“He was a good kid and...I think the football messed him up. We pray for the family. He used to be my doctor...a long time ago.”
Lesslie was a prominent emergency medicine physician. He and his wife of 35 years had four children and eight grandkids. Inside Edition spoke to a former patient, who said he cared “emphatically” about his patients.
“And he was well known for it. Everybody loved him. Everybody loved his whole family. They were happy, good people,” the patient said.
Lesslie authored a memoir called “Angels in the ER.”
“25 years in the ER have taught me a lot of things. I know without a doubt that life is fragile,” he wrote.
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