Chris Henry's Death: Loleini Tonga, The 911 Calls & The Regret

By Sam Brand Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:34PM

In April 2008 an Ohio judge called Chris Henry a "one man crime wave." It turned out the talented football player was innocent of the charges alluded to by the overeager judge. Henry was guilty of many other breaches of the law. But the public was always quick to attack the troubled wide receiver, regardless of how he behaved. Nobody is attacking Henry today, and for good reason. The 26-year-old phenom appeared to be turning his life around before he was thrown from his fiancee's truck on Wednesday. "Just at the time he was running to daylight," Bengals president Mike Brown said today, "his life was snuffed out."

Chris Henry – The 6'4" Louisiana native might have been too good for his own good. He was too talented to graduate, entering the NFL draft after only his second season on the college field. He was too fast for his frame, injuring his knee on a 66 yard catch during the Bengals first playoff game in 15 years. And he was too valuable to keep off the field, as Brown invited Henry back onto the Bengals just months after kicking him off for bad behavior.

Reaction – Everyone has something to say about Chris Henry. He was a special and oft misunderstood young man. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer told reporters, "There was a lot of speculation about who he was, but the only guys that knew Chris and knew how good of a heart he had, how kind he was, how gentle he was... were the guys in our locker room, the guys who were close to him, his family." Bengals guard Bobbie Williams said, "Chris was responsible, dependable, loved football. He had made the changes he needed to make." Star wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, whose stats Henry padded by opening up the field and diverting defenders' attention, choked back tears in the Bengals locker room today. "He was doing everything right. He's been doing everything right," Ochocinco said. "I don't see how Chris was supposed to go already. Especially when you're on the right path."

Loleini Tonga – Loleiini Tonga, or "Mrs. C. Henry" as she calls herself on MySpace, is the 25-year-old mother to 3 of Henry's children and the woman alleged to be at the wheel of the pickup that threw him into a North Carolina street on Wednesday. On Tuesday Tonga posted a message on MySpace claiming she and Henry had just paid for their wedding pictures and rings. A day earlier she wrote that her "WeDding dreSs is oFF da ChaiN." Today she is being investigated for inadvertently killing the man she planned to marry.

Chris Henry 911 Call – Two 911 calls were made in connection with Chris Henry's death. An unidentified woman following the yellow pickup allegedly driven by Tonga was the first to call. She described the situation as "a black man on it with no shirt on, and he's got his arm in a cast and black pants on." She continued, "He's beating on the back of this truck window... I don't know if he's trying to break in or something. It just looks crazy. It's a girl driving it." The truck then turned off the street and was lost. Moments later another call came in claiming a man in his 20s was lying in the street. He was "definitely unconscious" said the concerned citizen. Chris Henry was picked up by an ambulance shortly thereafter and rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at 6:36 a.m. Thursday morning.

Tags: carson palmer, CarsonPalmer, chad johnson, chad ochocinco, ChadJohnson, ChadOchocinco, chris henry, chris henry 911 tapes, chris henry dead, chris henry death, ChrisHenry, ChrisHenry911Tapes, ChrisHenryDead, ChrisHenryDeath, cincinnati bengals, CincinnatiBengals

Comments

(30)

Friday 18 December

By kathryn

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i just hope that people learn from this. why do people have to fight? if u cant get along with someone, get your house in order and just leave. people feel the need to just show out when their having problems, just go. if he was on the back of my truck i would like to believe that i would have driven to a police station or driven to places where their are lots of people there and witneses who would have caled the police on him. but so many people have to have drama in their lives. my sympathy to the whole family.

By G

Yeah, 'turning his life around'.. hanging off of a speeding truck, chasing down his baby momma, banging on the windows and screaming.. sounds like he was on the 'right path' to a straight life. Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy. He came such a long way (not).

By ngan hang tmcp

hope people learn from and remember this

By jojo

his 6 children will be in our prayers.

Sunday 20 December

By rubycatz

First and foremost just because there was a "domestic incident" reported and just because of Chris Henry's past everyone is assuming that HE started the incident. Since we were not there we have no idea who started. Remember women can start a domestic incident as easily as men. We do not even know if it was between Chris and his fiance. There could be other parties in the house and perhaps they were fighting and just perhaps in a lapse of bad judgement Chris jumped in the back of the truck trying to get the fiance to calm down. There are still too many what ifs that could fit this picture. And yes I am a Bengal fan a long time fan from the 70's do I agree with everything that happens with the team or some of the players actions, no but until we know all the facts NO one here has the right to slam this man who is not here to defend himself. Give him in death the dignity he was just earning in life.

Monday 21 December

By JULIE

SHE SHOULD GET LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER!!!

SHE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PERSON IN OR ON THAT VEHICLE, SHE DROVE THE VEHICLE KNOWING A PERSON IN OR ON THAT VEHICLE WAS IN DANGER......

SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MR. HENRY'S DEATH!!!

By Robert Wheeler

Chris Henry was an excellent Wide Reciever and was very luck to find a beautiful woman like Tonga and he will be greatly Missed by Her the kids and the greatest Ohio Football team Besides The Ohio State University Buckeyes in the CINCINNATI BENGALS. Mike Brown, Marvin Lewis and the NFL lost a Star on 12/17/09..

Tuesday 22 December

By MR.M

FUNNY HUHH HUHH HUHH LETS SEE WHT BRIDGE GONNA TAKE YOUR PISSY ASS AND SEE HOW FUNNY ITS GONNA BE WHN YOU MAMMA/FAMILY GET THT CALL OR KNOCK. YOU SERIOUSLY NEED JESUS SO JESUS WILL YOU PLEASE CLEAN UP HIS DEVILISH SPIRIT BEFORE HE GOES STRAIGHT TO HELL.

By debraw248

This is sad....How can a woman keep driving knowing her man in the back and can get hurt. How can a woman get mad and that upset because he didn't want to spend all his money on a wedding. She is lucky that is not my son. I would not rest until her ass is in jail. A man, who want to live a indeed life now--LOLEINI ARE FOUL!!!

LOLEINI IS LOW-DOWN MURDERER AND SHE NEED TO PAY FOR THIS. HE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS.

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