KINGWOOD, N.J. (AP) -- Former NBA star Jayson Williams surrendered Monday to face charges in the fatal shooting of a limousine driver at his sprawling mansion.
The NBC Sports commentator, accompanied by two men, walked through a back entrance into the state police barracks. He didn't comment as he entered the building, and authorities did not immediately say what charges he could face.
Williams' attorney, Joseph Hayden, said his client was charged in the death of Costas Christofi and released on bail. Hayden would not say what the exact charge was or how much bail was posted.
"The death of Mr. Christofi was a tragic accident but it was an accident," Hayden said. "We are very confident that after a full, fair and thorough exploration of all the facts it will be clear that Mr. Williams is innocent of recklessness and innocent of any criminal conduct."
Acting Hunterdon County Prosecutor Steven Lember has declined to confirm or deny reports about the charges. Investigators scheduled a news conference for Monday afternoon.
Christofi, 55, was found shot to death at Williams' 65-acre estate in Alexandria Township on Feb. 14. Christofi's nephew, Chris Adams, said Monday that prosecutors told the family Williams would be charged with manslaughter.
Lember told the New York Daily News that his office also was investigating whether Williams allowed Christofi to bleed to death before authorities were notified. The question could influence what charges Williams may eventually face.
Adams said his family could not confirm earlier published reports that Williams was playfully twirling a shotgun while giving a tour of his 30,000-square-foot home when the weapon fired, hitting Christofi.
Hayden has denied there was any horseplay. He has not commented on who was holding the gun.
Christofi had been hired to drive Williams' friends from a charity event in Bethlehem, Pa., to Williams' home, about 30 miles northwest of Trenton.
His death originally was reported as a suicide. After an autopsy, the medical examiner ruled the shooting a homicide.
The 6-foot-10 Williams was once among the NBA's best rebounders, but leg injuries ended his basketball career. He retired from the New Jersey Nets in 2000 and now works for NBC as an NBA studio analyst.
NBC Sports vice president Kevin Sullivan said the network would not comment.
Williams, 34, has freely admitted past mistakes, describing them in a 2000 autobiography as "a lot of beers and barroom brawls and some scrapes with the law and too many fights and some yelling matches with coaches and a bunch of headlines."
In 1992, he was accused of smashing a beer mug over a patron's head at a Chicago bar. Two years later, he was accused of firing a semiautomatic weapon into the parking lot at the Meadowlands sports complex.
He wrote in his autobiography that he almost shot New York Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet while firing a shotgun on his skeet-shooting range. And Williams faces a hearing this week on a charge that he pushed a police officer last November in a New Jersey bar.
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