Tom GantertBoulder, CO – Former National Football League (NFL) defensive lineman Justin Bannan was arrested after he shot a woman in his office building while he was hiding from the Russian Mafia.
The incident occurred at about 2:24 p.m. on Oct 16 at the building that houses Black Lab Sports, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.
Bannan is a co-founder of the venture capital firm located in the 3500-block of Frontier Avenue.
The arrest affidavit said that a woman went to unlock her therapy room at Element 6, another business in the building, and found Bannan hiding inside, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.
When the 36-year-old woman opened the door, Bannon shot her in the shoulder as she stood in the doorway.
Police responded to the scene and the 40-year-old former professional football player explained that he hadn’t meant to shoot the woman, who was a part-owner of the office building, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.
Officers found the six-foot-three and 312-pound former defensive lineman hiding on the west end of the office building when they arrived and took him into custody.
The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.
She told police that she and Bannan only knew each other from passing in the hallway, and police have said they believe the shooting was “random” and the victim was not targeted.
Bannan told police he had been hiding in the room because the Russian Mafia was after him and tracking his cell phone, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.
He said that he had only fired his gun once and that was an accident.
The arrest affidavit said that Bannan was carrying was carrying a bag that contained two loaded handguns and an extra magazine when he was taken into custody, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.
Police said he was also in possession of a $20 bill coated with a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine.
On the way to the police station, Bannan told officers that he was suffering from hydrocephalus, a brain disorder where excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles and causes thinking and reasoning problems, difficulty walking, and loss of bladder control, according to Westword.
Numerous former professional football players have been diagnosed with various brain problems after suffering repeated concussions on the playing field.
Boulder police said Bannan was charged with suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault with extreme indifference, first-degree assault with intent to cause serious bodily injury, and first-degree burglary, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.
He was released on a $500,000 bond with conditions that prohibited the former NFL player from possessing weapons, using drugs, leaving the state, or contacting his victim or other witnesses.
A formal filing of charges against Bannan was scheduled for Tuesday, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.
Bannan played football for the Colorado University Buffs before he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2002.
He spent four season with the Bills before he moved to the Baltimore Ravens, where he would play for another four years, according to Westword.
Bannan also played for the Denver Broncos, the St. Louis Rams, and the Detroit Lions during his 12-year, 163-game NFL career.
The former defensive lineman isn’t the only Buffs alumna believed to have suffered a brain injury from the game, according to Westword.
Heisman Trophy winner Rahsaan Salaam committed suicide in a Boulder park in 2016 and his family blamed his death on brain injuries accumulated during his time playing for the Chicago Bears.
A 2016 study by the American Academy of Neurology found that 40 percent of retired NFL players had traumatic brain injuries based on diffusion tensor imaging, according to a press release by the organization at the time.