Here is the initial story:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-deputykillsfootballplayer
Ex-NFL Bengal killed by Calif. deputy in scuffle
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP)—A California deputy shot and killed a former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals in front of a convenience store after he allegedly hit an officer with a bag holding two cans of beer.
David Lee “Deacon” Turner, 56, played with the Bengals from 1978 to 1980 and had long arrest history after his playing career was finished.
Deputies who were investigating reports of teenagers asking adults to buy alcohol and cigarettes approached Turner on Sunday as he left the convenience store with his 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old juvenile.
The deputies detained Turner while they investigated. The sheriff’s office said Turner initially complied but then decided to leave, and the scuffle occurred when deputies tried to stop the former NFL player. Deputy Aaron Nadal was hit on the back of the head with a bag holding two, 24-ounce cans of beer before Deputy Wesley Kraft drew his handgun and fired twice at Turner, authorities said.
Friends and family told the The Bakersfield Californian they have trouble believing authorities’ account of the story. Nephew Kevin Turner called his uncle “the backbone of our family.”
“He was a marvelous kid,” Bakersfield College coach Gerry Collins told the newspaper.
Turner excelled at shredding defenses at Shafter High School, Bakersfield College and San Diego State University before getting drafted by the Bengals in the second round in 1978.
Turner was used primarily as a kick returner in his three years in the league, amassing 1,149 return yards in 1979 for the last-place Bengals. He had 549 career rushing yards.
Court records show an arrest history stretching back to 1986. The most recent, on June 17, was for driving while his license was revoked because of a conviction for driving under the influence.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood said department investigators were getting tapes from video cameras at the store to see if the incident Sunday was recorded. He said he has purposely not researched Turner’s criminal background.
“I want to look at it with an open and objective mind,” Youngblood said. “Having a record is a tiny piece of the puzzle, but not a significant piece.”
He declined to comment about the investigation directly. The department issued a release saying Nadal was treated and released at a hospital. Officials have not described the nature of his injury.
Kraft is on administrative leave while sheriff’s detectives investigate the shooting.
HERE IS THE STORY FROM THE SON WHO WATCHED HIS FATHER'S MURDER
http://northeast.bakersfieldnow.com...ty-kills-former-football-star-front-son/71853
A man who played running back for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1978 to 1980 was shot and killed by a Kern County Sheriff's deputy in front of his 19-year-old son.
It happened early Sunday at the Fastrip store, 2200 Nile St., in northeast Bakersfield.
According to the Kern County Sheriff's Office, a group of teenagers were outside of the Fastrip trying to get adults to buy alcohol for them. When deputies arrived, they approached 56-year-old David Lee Turner, who was leaving the store with his son.
Turner's son was too shaken to speak with Eyewitness News on Sunday, but he told his sister what he witnessed.
"They asked my dad if he was the person buying alcohol for underage youth," Jerrica Cor-Dova said.
According to Turner's son, his father denied the claims, but deputies continued to question him. Turner then asked officers if he was being arrested. The deputies said no, and Turner grabbed his stuff and began to walk away.
"As he was walking away, the officers came up behind him and hit him in the back of the legs with a club, causing him to fall on his knees," Cor-Dova said.
Turner's son said the bag his father was carrying fell to the ground and the beer in the bag exploded. The next thing he heard was two shots being fired.
"My brother said he yelled my dad's name, and my father was lying there still," Cor-Dova relayed the story.
But according to the sheriff's department, the shots were fired because one of the officers was hit over the head with the items in the bag. His son said that never happened.
"I know that there is a video recording, so we are relying heavily on the video recording from Fastrip," Cor-Dova said.
Eyewitness News contacted Fastrip in an effort to obtain the surveillance video, but, due to the ongoing investigation, it cannot release the video.
The family is asking for answers.
"All we want is for justice to be served. We need some closure here. This is devastating," Turner's girlfriend Doralene Hicks said.
Deputy Welsey Kraft, the man who shot Turner, is currently on paid administrative leave as the investigation into the shooting continues.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-deputykillsfootballplayer
Ex-NFL Bengal killed by Calif. deputy in scuffle
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP)—A California deputy shot and killed a former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals in front of a convenience store after he allegedly hit an officer with a bag holding two cans of beer.
David Lee “Deacon” Turner, 56, played with the Bengals from 1978 to 1980 and had long arrest history after his playing career was finished.
Deputies who were investigating reports of teenagers asking adults to buy alcohol and cigarettes approached Turner on Sunday as he left the convenience store with his 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old juvenile.
The deputies detained Turner while they investigated. The sheriff’s office said Turner initially complied but then decided to leave, and the scuffle occurred when deputies tried to stop the former NFL player. Deputy Aaron Nadal was hit on the back of the head with a bag holding two, 24-ounce cans of beer before Deputy Wesley Kraft drew his handgun and fired twice at Turner, authorities said.
Friends and family told the The Bakersfield Californian they have trouble believing authorities’ account of the story. Nephew Kevin Turner called his uncle “the backbone of our family.”
“He was a marvelous kid,” Bakersfield College coach Gerry Collins told the newspaper.
Turner excelled at shredding defenses at Shafter High School, Bakersfield College and San Diego State University before getting drafted by the Bengals in the second round in 1978.
Turner was used primarily as a kick returner in his three years in the league, amassing 1,149 return yards in 1979 for the last-place Bengals. He had 549 career rushing yards.
Court records show an arrest history stretching back to 1986. The most recent, on June 17, was for driving while his license was revoked because of a conviction for driving under the influence.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood said department investigators were getting tapes from video cameras at the store to see if the incident Sunday was recorded. He said he has purposely not researched Turner’s criminal background.
“I want to look at it with an open and objective mind,” Youngblood said. “Having a record is a tiny piece of the puzzle, but not a significant piece.”
He declined to comment about the investigation directly. The department issued a release saying Nadal was treated and released at a hospital. Officials have not described the nature of his injury.
Kraft is on administrative leave while sheriff’s detectives investigate the shooting.
HERE IS THE STORY FROM THE SON WHO WATCHED HIS FATHER'S MURDER
http://northeast.bakersfieldnow.com...ty-kills-former-football-star-front-son/71853
A man who played running back for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1978 to 1980 was shot and killed by a Kern County Sheriff's deputy in front of his 19-year-old son.
It happened early Sunday at the Fastrip store, 2200 Nile St., in northeast Bakersfield.
According to the Kern County Sheriff's Office, a group of teenagers were outside of the Fastrip trying to get adults to buy alcohol for them. When deputies arrived, they approached 56-year-old David Lee Turner, who was leaving the store with his son.
Turner's son was too shaken to speak with Eyewitness News on Sunday, but he told his sister what he witnessed.
"They asked my dad if he was the person buying alcohol for underage youth," Jerrica Cor-Dova said.
According to Turner's son, his father denied the claims, but deputies continued to question him. Turner then asked officers if he was being arrested. The deputies said no, and Turner grabbed his stuff and began to walk away.
"As he was walking away, the officers came up behind him and hit him in the back of the legs with a club, causing him to fall on his knees," Cor-Dova said.
Turner's son said the bag his father was carrying fell to the ground and the beer in the bag exploded. The next thing he heard was two shots being fired.
"My brother said he yelled my dad's name, and my father was lying there still," Cor-Dova relayed the story.
But according to the sheriff's department, the shots were fired because one of the officers was hit over the head with the items in the bag. His son said that never happened.
"I know that there is a video recording, so we are relying heavily on the video recording from Fastrip," Cor-Dova said.
Eyewitness News contacted Fastrip in an effort to obtain the surveillance video, but, due to the ongoing investigation, it cannot release the video.
The family is asking for answers.
"All we want is for justice to be served. We need some closure here. This is devastating," Turner's girlfriend Doralene Hicks said.
Deputy Welsey Kraft, the man who shot Turner, is currently on paid administrative leave as the investigation into the shooting continues.
