Washington’s star defensive player Sean Taylor didn’t manage to overcome the critical condition he was in after being shot in the leg at his home situated on the outskirts of Miami during a possibly a burglary that took place on Monday.

The 24-year-old died early yesterday morning at the Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was brought shortly after the shooting took place, but apparently he had lost a lot of blood until the ambulance and then the rescue helicopter arrived at the scene. The bullet pierced his femoral artery, according to the Miami Herald.

“Many of his fans loved him because of the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him,” his father Pedro Taylor said in a statement.

Redskins fans showed their solidarity with the mourning family of Taylor and showed up in big numbers at the team’s training facility in Ashburn, Virginia. A candle light service was held there last night and at the base of a tree near the entrance of Redskins Park Drive was laid a memorial included flowers, cards, candles and a board with pictures of Taylor and signatures of fans.

Taylor’s uniform number, 21, was painted in white with gold trim on the grass near the entrance of the complex and on a plaza at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, where the team plays its home games.

“I think Sean felt like God made him to play football,'' Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said at a press conference. ``He was one of those guys who felt this is where he belonged.''

Shot at Home

Taylor and the other people in the house had reportedly heard intruders at the rear door and then the football player was shot in the leg, the Miami Herald reported, but these details weren’t confirmed by the police.

The call to the police station was made at about 1:45 a.m. by a woman who said Taylor had been shot.

"We've yet to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting," Miami-Dade Police spokeswoman Kathy Webb said.

Taylor was shot in the “lower extremities” said Miami-Dade police Lt. Nancy Perez. After an ambulance had arrived at the scene, Taylor was airlifted to Ryder Trauma (center at Jackson Memorial Hospital) in critical condition.

Taylor’s girlfriend and his relatives who were in the home at the time of the shooting were interviewed by the police investigators, but they couldn’t determine yet what actually happened.

"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery. It has not been confirmed as yet," Lt. Perez said.