Widow of HVAC tech files wrongful death suit against estate of ex-NFL player who shot him

ROCK HILL, S.C. — An HVAC technician was killed on April 7, 2021 by former NFL player Phillip Adams and months later, his family sued Adams’ estate for wrongful death.

Robert Shook, 38, of Cherryville, North Carolina, was working at the home of Robert and Barbara Lesslie when Adams shot him several times. Officials said Shook was flown to the hospital in critical condition, where he died three days later.

Shook was one of six people, including the Lesslies, who was shot and killed by Adams before he turned the gun on himself.

In August 2021, Shook’s widow and mother to their three children, Holly Shook, filed a wrongful death suit against Adams’s estate. She asked for a jury trial and for punitive damages from Adams’ estate.

In December 2021, an autopsy revealed unusually severe brain disease in Adams’ frontal lobe. The 20 years he spent playing football “definitively ... gave rise” to a diagnosis of stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to Dr. Ann McKee, who examined his brain.

The lawsuit can be read in its entirety here.

In court documents released in December, Shook’s counsel said it hired private investigators in both North Carolina and South Carolina to track down how Adams got ahold of the gun he used on April 7, 2021. The counsel also submitted public records requests to the NFL and several teams. A later update noted that the NFL was in the process of gathering the documentation.

In March, Shook’s lawyer said through calls with attorneys involved in a prior NFL Players Concussion Injury class action settlement, he was able to confirm that “Phillip Adams was not a member of that class due to the date parameters of the class definition.”

Channel 9 previously reported that because Adams didn’t retire by 2014, he wouldn’t have been eligible for testing as part of a broad settlement between the league and former players over long-lasting concussion-related injuries.

(WATCH: Autopsy: Severe brain trauma in ex-NFL player who killed 6 in Rock Hill)

Officials: Former NFL pro who killed 6 in Rock Hill had ‘unusually severe’ brain damage due to CTE

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