Five people reportedly called 911 the night of former Cincinnati Bengals star Rudi Johnson’s suicide, with several saying they heard screams and cries for help.
WARNING: Details of suicide
In police audio obtained by TMZ, one woman told the 911 dispatcher she saw someone – later identified as Johnson – fall from an apartment building balcony in Sunny Isles, Fla., on the night of Sept. 22.
“It’s building in front of me, I just saw someone jump off the building … They jumped off the balcony into the pool,” the unidentified caller said.
“There was multiple people on the balcony … Somebody was screaming, saying, ‘Help me.’
“I looked over and somebody was screaming ‘Help me, help me!’ screaming at the top of their lungs, so I looked over and I saw somebody just completely falling off the balcony.”
The caller was asked if she had heard anything before the incident, responding that a woman had been screaming “Help! Help! Don’t do this. Don’t do this. Somebody help me. Somebody help me.”
Another 911 caller described similar details to an emergency operator.
“I just heard people screaming and a huge … bang,” the second caller said. “I heard people screaming for help in the pool … I heard a lot of screaming … And then a huge boom.”
According to TMZ, Johnson was pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital.
A Miami Dade Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told the outlet that “there’s no foul play suspected,” and Johnson’s death “has been unequivocally deemed a suicide.”
TMZ previously reported that Johnson, 45, had been “struggling with mental health issues and the possible effects of CTE that he could not overcome.”
Johnson is Cincinnati’s fourth-leading rusher of all time and holds the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season with 1,458 in 2005 – breaking his own record of 1,454 the previous year, in which he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance.
He played one year with the Detroit Lions before retiring following the 2008 season.
“Rudi was a fine person and an excellent running back for us,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said in a statement. “He was dependable and productive as a player, and very popular among his teammates.
“Everyone liked him and saw him as a dear friend. We are deeply saddened by his passing.”