The final hours of Jovan Belcher's life included an incident with police officers that occurred several hours before the linebacker shot his girlfriend to death at their home, then took his own life at Kansas City Chiefs headquarters Saturday.
Kansas City police on Friday released video of an encounter taken after 3 a.m. on the day of the murder-suicide. Belcher had fallen asleep on the side of the road behind the wheel of his Bentley, prompting a call to police regarding a suspicious vehicle. The encounter was captured on a police cruiser's dashboard camera.
The video shows Belcher and three police officers engaging in a polite conversation during the stop. Belcher said he was visiting a friend at a nearby building, which officers said was a better idea than driving. At one point, an officer tells Belcher -- still seated in his car -- "We're just trying to cut you a break here." Officers also are heard saying, "You live right here? You just need to go upstairs, dude" and "You know you got a lot to lose."
Belcher eventually exits the car and has a brief conversation with officers as they do a check of the vehicle. No impairment tests are performed during the video. There doesn't appear to be anything irregular about Belcher's speech and gait, and he repeatedly tells the officers he simply fell asleep in his car. He told the officers he appreciated their help before walking off.
Police also released dashboard camera footage of officers responding to the 911 call that Chiefs security placed shortly before Belcher killed himself.
According a Tuesday report by The Kansas City Star, Belcher had argued with his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, earlier Saturday morning after she returned home from a concert. Belcher had been out that night as well, spending time with friends at a popular entertainment district in the area.
A friend of Perkins' told The Star that the couple argued around 1 a.m. Two hours later, Belcher was talking with police in his car. Five hours after that, both Perkins and Belcher were dead.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
