Jayson Williams’ Brother Called Shooting a Suicide

The brother of former NBA star Jayson Williams told a police dispatcher that a limousine driver shot himself, according to a newspaper’s account of the 911 tape released Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, a state appeals court ordered the release of the 911 tape, made after the Feb. 14, 2002 shooting at Williams’ home.

Williams, 35, is charged with first-degree manslaughter and other offenses in the death of driver Costas Christofi. Williams, who is accused of shooting Christofi and then trying to make it look like a suicide, could face nearly 55 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

On the 911 tape, Williams’ brother, Victor, implored the dispatcher to send an ambulance.

“This man has just got shot, he picked up a gun that was loaded and it shot him,” he said, according to the Bridgewater (N.J.) Courier News. Authorities have said Victor Williams was not present at the time of the shooting.

Winter Sports

Julia Mancuso ended Kirsten Clark’s four-year domination of the women’s downhill at the U.S. Alpine Championships, racing to a convincing victory over Lindsey Kildow and Jonna Mendes in 1 minute 38.07 seconds at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Steven Nyman, who barely made the Alpine B team this year, stunned the men’s field. He won in 1:34.81 as three of the favorites faded.

Travel-weary Bode Miller finished fourth, Jakub Fiala was seventh and Marco Sullivan veered off the Whiteface Mountain course and failed to finish.

Mancuso, 19 who defeated everyone in training Tuesday by more than two seconds, nearly duplicated that feat in the race. Kildow was 0.56 seconds behind and Mendes was 1.98 seconds back.

Clark held the lead briefly and finished sixth.

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Halvard Hanevold of Norway won the 20-kilometer individual event for his second medal in the biathlon world championships at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, and clinched the World Cup individual title.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway earned the overall World Cup title despite finishing 30th in the next-to-last men’s race.

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Olympic and world champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia had surgery at Zagreb to remove damaged cartilage from her right knee but is expected to ski again in May.

Pro Football

Restricted free-agent receiver Laveranues Coles signed a seven-year, $35-million contract with the Washington Redskins after the New York Jets declined to match the offer.

The Jets will receive Washington’s first-round draft pick -- No. 13 overall -- as compensation.

Newsday reported that the Jets agreed to terms with former San Diego Charger receiver Curtis Conway, according to two sources with knowledge of the negotiations.

Conway had 57 catches for 852 yards and five touchdowns in 2002. The Jets targeted Conway after failing to work out a trade for Tai Streets, a restricted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers.

Coles became the third Jet player to wind up with the Redskins this off-season, joining guard Randy Thomas and kicker John Hall. The Redskins also tried to get Jet kick returner Chad Morton, but New York matched Washington’s five-year, $8-million offer for the restricted free agent last week.

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The New Orleans Saints re-signed running back Fred McAfee to a one-year contract.

Despite sitting out five games and parts of two others because of a hamstring injury last season, McAfee had 16 special teams tackles and a forced fumble.

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Quarterback Gus Frerotte agreed to terms with Minnesota, ending the Vikings’ search for a veteran backup to Daunte Culpepper.

Frerotte completed 44 of 85 passes for 437 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions in four games with the Cincinnati Bengals last season.

He passed for 3,453 yards for the Redskins in 1996.

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Former Buffalo Bill tight end Jay Riemersma signed a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Riemersma is second behind Pete Metzelaars as the Bills’ most accomplished pass-catching tight end with 204 career receptions for 2,304 yards and 20 touchdowns.

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Free-agent receiver Kevin Dyson agreed to a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. He played with the Tennessee Titans the last five seasons.

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Bobby Beathard, former general manager of the Redskins and San Diego Chargers, has agreed to serve as a consultant to the Atlanta Falcons for another season.

Beathard, 66, has worked with the Falcons since last April. He retired from the Chargers in 2000.

Miscellany

Todd Martin defeated Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Nasdaq-100 Open tennis tournament at Key Biscayne, Fla., for his second victory in four matches this year.

The relative inactivity has dropped Martin’s ranking to 114th, the first time he has been out of the top 100 since 1992. Zabaleta is ranked 36th.

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South Carolina running back Thez Robinson has been dismissed from the Gamecocks by football Coach Lou Holtz for violating unspecified team rules.

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Filippo Pozzato of Italy won the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race after picking up key sprint time bonuses during the seventh and final stage. Danilo Di Luca of Italy finished second overall. Two-time world champion Oscar Freire of Spain won the 100-mile stage that began and ended in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy.

Passings

George Bayer, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour known for his booming drives, has died at 77.

Bayer suffered a heart attack Sunday at Palm Desert. Story in Section B.