July 5 (Bloomberg) -- The shooting death of former National Football League quarterback Steve McNair was a homicide, the Metro Nashville Police Department said in a statement.

The department said it needed further investigation before ruling if McNair was killed in a murder-suicide.

McNair was shot four times, twice in the head and twice in the chest, police said following today’s autopsy. McNair and 20- year-old Sahel Kazemi were found dead yesterday in a Nashville condominium.

Kazemi was killed by a gunshot wound to the head and had a semi-automatic pistol under her body. There was no sign of forced entry at the condominium, which McNair co-owned with a friend, police said.

Detectives have been told that McNair, who was married with four children, had been “in a dating relationship” with Kazemi for the past several months. McNair was 36. Police said they would conduct a further investigation and interviews with friends of McNair and Kazemi before classifying her death.

McNair retired from the NFL in April 2008 after 13 seasons with the Houston Oilers-Tennessee Titans franchise and the Baltimore Ravens. He shared the 2003 Most Valuable Player award with Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.

“He was one of the great warriors to ever put on a football uniform at any position,” former Oilers quarterback Warren Moon said in a statement. “His competitiveness and toughness were unparalleled. He was always a gentleman and very giving off the field. One of the great people in our league was taken from us way too soon.”

Super Bowl

After the 1999 season, McNair and the Titans lost the Super Bowl to the St. Louis Rams 23-16. The game ended when Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson was tackled inside the 1-yard line as time expired after catching a pass from McNair.

McNair was the third pick in the 1995 NFL draft and passed for 31,304 career yards and 174 touchdowns. He’s one of three quarterbacks in league history to pass for more than 30,000 yards and run for over 3,500, along with Hall of Fame members Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young.

McNair retired after 2007, when he was limited to six games by groin, back and shoulder injuries.

“Yesterday was a sad day for all of us as former teammates and for the Titans’ organization,” former Tennessee safety Blaine Bishop said. “Steve was an absolute warrior as a player and brought that mindset to the team.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 5, 2009 17:22 EDT