Former NFL player sought in shooting at Siegfried and Roy's home (13986)

A former place-kicker for the Oakland Raiders is being sought in a drive-by shooting last month at the home of entertainers Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn, police said Wednesday. Cole Murdoch Ford, 31, whose three-year NFL career ended after several crucial missed kicks during the 1997 season, was named in a felony warrant stemming from the September 21 shooting, Sgt. Chris Jones said. "I can confirm this individual was at one time a kicker for the Oakland Raiders," Jones said. "We have not found him." Police identified Ford as the owner of a white minivan from which shots were fired at the compound owned by the former illusionists known as Siegfried & Roy. No one was hurt, but police said shotgun pellets shattered windows and left a hole in a wall. Police have not said if the two men were home at the time. Jones said police considered Ford armed and dangerous, adding that he might be living in a low-budget hotel or camping in southern Nevada or nearby states. Ford faces six felony warrant charges of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle and two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Initially, the case was labeled a hate crime after a witness told police the gunman shouted that the entertainers should get out of the country. Later police said it was not bias-related. Horn and friends celebrated his 60th birthday Sunday at the home, located northwest of the Las Vegas Strip--a year to the day after a near-fatal tiger mauling left Horn partially paralyzed and forced the long-running Siegfried & Roy show to close. Raiders center Adam Treu said he and Ford were teammates in 1997. "I heard some stories. I was shocked there was a weapon involved," Treu said. "I spent a year with Cole. Something must've happened after he was here."

Ford was drafted out of USC in 1995 by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was released before that NFL season began. He signed with the Raiders and remained on the team for three seasons before being cut. After making 89% of his field goals in 1995 and 77% in 1996, he was successful on just 59% of his attempts in 1997. Ford's misses included several short ones and often came at crucial times in games.