Former NFL star Chip Banks fighting for life after Georgia shooting said to be targeted attack
Former NFL star Chip Banks, who was an all-pro linebacker and the number three pick in the 1982 NFL Draft suffered from gunshot wounds on Wednesday after being attacked by men in masks. According to TMZ, the 60-year-old former football player is in a serious condition after what was an apparent targeted attack.
Police were quoted as saying that they reported to the location after a report of a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, came in at around noon on Wednesday. It was also reported that the cops found three people injured by gunshot wounds. One of them was announced dead on the spot while Banks and the other victim were both, "alert, conscious and breathing". They were then transferred to a local hospital according to officials quoted in the media report.
The reason why the report alleges that Banks, who was the 1982 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, could have been injured as part of a targeted attack is because of the way the shooting had taken place. Police officials had reportedly informed local media that a group of five or six men with masks on had rolled up to the residence where they had shot down one man in the driveway and then proceeded to enter the residence to shoot two others as well before fleeing.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department was quoted as saying, "Detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident. The investigation continues." The officials also said that they do not believe that the attack was random, meaning at least one of the men who was shot could have very well been targeted. However, who of the three was not revealed.
Banks was a popular football player in the late '80s and early '90s who played for teams such as the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, and Indianapolis Colts. Out of his 10 seasons in the league, he was a 4-time Pro Bowler -- in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986 when he played for the Cleveland Browns -- and was drafted right out of USC in 1982 before players such as Jim McMahon and Marcus Allen.