Dave Duerson placed a chair against his door and an American flag at the head of his bed before undressing, getting into his bed and shooting himself through the chest, according to the official autopsy report released by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner.
Duerson, a former safety who was a member of the 1985 Bears, said that his final wish before committing suicide was that his brain be studied for clues to whether injuries from his playing career caused the mental health problems he had later in life.
“The body of David Duerson was found on his bed with the sheet pulled up to the neck,” the report says. “As the sheet was pulled off the body, a .38 Special revolver was seen next to the left hand with four intact rounds and one spent round in the five-shot cylinder.”
Duerson seemed to have methodically arranged his belongings before killing himself.
“Multiple documents had been laid out on the dining room table,” the autopsy report says. “Multiple documents are laid out on the bed in the second bedroom, along with two framed certificates, framed medals and a folded American flag at the head of the bed. . . . The walk-in closet in the master bedroom has a football statute, three helmets from different football teams, and three football trophies.”
Results from tests on Duerson’s brain have not yet been released.