KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two sets of grandparents are in a custody battle over the 4-month-old daughter of a Kansas City Chiefs player who fatally shot the child’s mother before taking his own life.
Linebacker Jovan Belcher fired several shots into the girl’s mother, Kasandra Perkins, on Dec. 1, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and shot himself in the parking lot in front of then-coach Romeo Crennel and then-general manager Scott Pioli.
The Kansas City Star reports Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, is seeking custody of Zoey Belcher and to be appointed conservator of her estate. The baby’s maternal grandparents and other relatives in Texas also are seeking custody.
Shepherd’s lawyer said the maternal grandparents took Zoey to Texas for Perkins’ funeral and now have cut off communication with Shepherd.