​Father of Chiefs Long Snapper Killed in "Planned" Shooting

The Kansas City Chiefs are grieving the loss of Michael Winchester, the father of long snapper James Winchester, who died from gunshot wounds in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Michael Winchester worked at Will Rogers World Airport as an employee of Southwest Airlines and was targeted in a premeditated attack, police say, by an unidentified suspect who was later found dead from self-inflicted gunshots in a pickup truck near the scene.

Sparking terrorism fears, the shootings closed the airport for several hours. While police later determined terrorism did not appear to be a motivating factor, details of crime were no less unsettling:

Oklahoma City Police Capt. Paco Balderrama said the shooter apparently knew the victim's schedule and routine.

"This individual went there and waited for the employee to either be coming or going to take this opportunity," Balderrama said. He wouldn't say conclusively that it was a "sniper-type" attack.

The 1 p.m. shooting set off a scramble at the airport, with police immediately closing the sprawling complex and asking passengers inside to seek cover.

They diverted incoming flights and refused to give already-loaded aircraft permission to leave. There were concerns the gunman might have entered the terminal and mingled among passengers or employees.

Michael Winchester, 52, was a punter for Oklahoma in the 1980s, and his son played there as well before joining the Chiefs in 2015. James Winchester, 27, has played in 25 games for Kansas City over the past season-plus.

The Chiefs released a statement of "love and support" for the Winchester family, and James Winchester's agent, Ken Sarnoff, said this on Twitter:

I'm devastated to confirm for news outlets that my client @J_Winchester41 lost his father today to tragic & senseless gun violence at OKC.
— Ken Sarnoff (@KenSarnoff) November 15, 2016

It was just four years ago in December that the Chiefs found themselves reeling from the death of linebacker Jovan Belcher, who ended his own life after killing his girlfriend in a parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium.