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Former All-Pro linebacker Chip banks – the No.3 pick in the 1982 NFL Draft – is fighting for his life after being shot in an apparent targeted attack in Georgia … TMZ Sports has learned.
Cops tell us officers responded to a call about a shooting in the Atlanta area around noon on Wednesday and arrived to find 3 victims – including Banks – with gunshot wounds.
According to cops, one of the men was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.
The other two men – including Banks – were “alert, aware and breathing” and transported to a local hospital for treatment, officials added.
We are told that Banks, 60, the 1982 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, is currently in “serious condition.”
As to how the shooting unfolded … cops told local media on Wednesday that they believed a group of 5 or 6 men with masks rolled up to the residence, shot at a man in the driveway, then went inside and shot the other two men. before running away.
Cops told local media they didn’t think the shooting was random – in other words, it appears at least one of the men was hit with one hit.
“Detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident,” an Atlanta Police Department spokesperson told us. “The investigation is continuing.”
Banks was a pretty big NFL star in the 1980s and early 1990s … playing for the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, and Indianapolis Colts.
Banks – who was drafted by USC before guys like Jim mcmahon and Marcus Allen in 1982 – was a four-time Pro Bowler in his 10 league seasons.
