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NEW YORK—NFL
star Plaxico Burress turned himself into authorities Monday morning to
face charges of criminal possession of a weapon following an incident
in which he accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan
nightclub.
The New
York Giants wide receiver arrived at the New York Police
Department’s 17th Precinct in Manhattan shortly after 8 a.m.
Flashing a brief smile, he walked into the precinct without the aid of
crutches and did not appear to be in any pain. He is expected to be
fingerprinted and booked on a felony charge of criminal possession of a
weapon before entering a not guilty plea.
Burress
accidentally shot himself in the thigh around 1 a.m. on November 29
while in the VIP section in the Latin Quarter nightclub in New York
City. He had been carrying the gun in his pants pocket when it
accidentally discharged. He was treated at a Manhattan hospital and
released Saturday afternoon.
Although
Burress and the NFL have remained mostly tightlipped regarding the
situation, reports indicate that he had been partying with his wife and
two of his Giants teammates, Ahmad Bradshaw and Antonio Pierce.
Authorities are investigating whether Pierce may have attempted to help
Burress hide the weapon. The gun was later recovered from his New
Jersey home.
Criminal
possession of a weapon carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison
in New York City. Although the 31-year-old had been issued a gun permit
in Florida, it was expired at the time of the incident and would not
have been transferable in New York anyway.
Burress’
teammate, running back Brandon Jacobs, said that Burress was staying
positive throughout the ordeal. “He called me laughing and
grinning. He is doing fine. He is feeling good,” Jacobs told
reporters following the Giants’ win on Sunday, “I called
him and made a few jokes about the situation and he laughed—which
is what I wanted to hear.”
Burress is expected to plead “not guilty.” –ivory m. jones
