MIAMI -- Police have arrested four people in the Fort Myers area for questioning in connection with the death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor.

Miami-Dade Police Department spokeswoman Linda O'Brien identified the men as: Venjah K. Hunte, 20; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 17; and Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18.

O'Brien said that the exact charges for each had not yet been determined but "we are talking murder and burglary."

They were arrested Friday in southwest Florida, about 100 miles from Miami. They will be booked into the Lee County Jail and will eventually be returned to Miami, she said. She did not have any information on when they would appear in court, their hometowns or if they had attorneys.

The suspects weren't expecting Taylor to be home, said Miami-Dade police Director Robert Parker, but Taylor was recuperating from a knee injury and had returned home from Washington.

"They were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone," Parker said.

Authorities had more than one confession, but Parker would not elaborate.

"We're looking into whether or not one or more of the individuals had been at the residence before," Parker said.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder released a statement late Friday acknowledging the arrests.

"This is another step, but not a conclusion, in a very personal and painful tragedy," Snyder said.

Sources told Local 10 that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement searched a home in nearby Cape Coral Thursday night as a result of a search of Taylor's Miami-area home that turned up the names of three men.

According to Fort Myers police, the FDLE and Miami-Dade police homicide detectives remained in Lee County and detained them Friday morning. Although Fort Myers and Lee County authorities denied being part of the operation, the detention took place in the Fort Myers area, Local 10 reported.

Taylor's father, Pedro Taylor, told reporters at a news conference in southwest Miami-Dade County that he had little information beyond what has already been reported.

"You expect to go before your child and when this occurs, it makes you feel saddened, but you also know that there's a God above," said Pedro Taylor, who is also the police chief of Florida City.

Taylor's mother said Thursday she has her own ideas about the death of her son but prefers to keep them to herself so as not to interfere with the investigation. His father echoed much of the same sentiments Friday.

"I think that the world needs healing," Pedro Taylor said. "I think we need to show more love."

Taylor died early Tuesday morning, one day after he was shot in his home during a random burglary, Parker said.

At a news conference Wednesday, Parker said there were no indications that Taylor was targeted or knew his assailant.

"There is nothing thus far in the investigation that indicates that there was an involvement on the victim's part," said Parker.

But on Tuesday, Sharpstein said the shooting was not random.

"There are too many coincidences," said Sharpstein. "It's clear this house was targeted."

Recreating Events

Sharpstein said Taylor, his girlfriend and Taylor's 18-month-old daughter were in the bedroom of Taylor's home when Taylor heard noises in the living room.

Sharpstein said Taylor went to investigate and was carrying a machete that he keeps in the bedroom. The intruder kicked in the door and then shot twice, hitting Taylor once in the leg, the attorney said. Taylor lost a significant amount of blood because the bullet hit his femoral artery, Sharpstein said.

Miami-Dade police went to Taylor's home at 18050 Old Cutler Road in Palmetto Bay after receiving a call from a woman around 1:30 a.m. Investigators later identified the woman as Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia. Garcia is the niece of actor Andy Garcia and the mother of Taylor's daughter, also named Jackie.

Monday's break-in was at least the second for Taylor in less than two weeks. Taylor's home was ransacked and items were stolen on Nov. 17, Sharpstein said.

Taylor had closed the storm shutters on his home after the earlier break-in. During that entry, someone made his or her way through a front window, according to a police report. The house was ransacked and there was damage to an air conditioning duct in the bathroom, where someone may have believed there was something hidden, Berky reported. A kitchen knife was left on the bed, according to the police report, but it wasn't until after Taylor was killed that police began to analyze evidence collected from the first break-in, Berky reported.

"We have no reason to think that this was anything but a burglary or a robbery involving an intruder," said Parker.

Taylor's Background, Playing Career

Taylor played football at the University of Miami, where he was a member of the 2001 national championship team as a freshman. In his final season with the Hurricanes in 2003, Taylor was a consensus first-team All-American and named Big East Conference defensive player of the year. He was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back.

He left school early and became the first UM player selected in the 2004 NFL draft when the Redskins picked him fifth overall.

Last June, Taylor agreed to a plea bargain in court on charges that he brandished a weapon at people he suspected had stolen some all-terrain vehicles from his South Florida home. Taylor agreed to 18 months of probation.

Taylor was in his fourth season with the Redskins. He led the team with five interceptions but missed the last two games with a knee injury. The 212-pound safety played in his first Pro Bowl in 2006.

Funeral services will be held at the Pharmed Arena at Florida International University on Monday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. The services are open to the public, but seating is limited.