Redskins star safety shot in his Florida home

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. – Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor was in critical condition Monday after he was shot during what police are investigating as a possible armed robbery at his home.\nThe 24-year-old player was in the intensive care unit following several hours of surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital, said family friend Richard Sharpstein, his former lawyer. He remained unconscious early Monday evening.\nTaylor lost a “significant” amount of blood because the bullet damaged his femoral artery, and doctors are worried about blood flow to the brain, added Sharpstein, who was at the hospital with the player’s family and friends.\nTaylor has had problems on and off the field, and two years ago was accused of brandishing a gun. The shooting came eight days after another invasion was reported at his home. According to police records, someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed.\nOfficers were sent to Taylor’s home at about 1:45 a.m. Monday after his girlfriend called 911 and said he was shot in his lower body, Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. Taylor had missed the last two games because of a knee injury and was at home recuperating. He was airlifted to the hospital.\nInvestigators were still interviewing the girlfriend and other relatives in the home, Perez said. No arrests have been made.\n“It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery,” Perez said. “It has not been confirmed as yet.”\nSharpstein said Taylor’s girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, the lawyer said.\n“It was clearly a burglary, an armed burglary,” Sharpstein said, adding nothing appeared to have been stolen.\nThe shooting happened at the pale yellow house Taylor bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Taylor is in his fourth season with the Redskins after playing at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003. Despite his injury, he is tied for the NFC lead with five interceptions.