(Boston) A man who died at the New England Patriots home game last weekend after being hit in the face at least twice did not suffer a “traumatic injury” in the stands, but rather a discomfort, Massachusetts authorities announced Wednesday.
Police and security responding to a distress call at the balcony of Gillette Stadium shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday found Dale Mooney, 53, “in distress due to feeling unwell,” the police said. Norfolk District Attorney’s Office in a news release.
Mooney, of Newmarket, New Hampshire, was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Our investigation includes numerous interviews with police officers and review of numerous security camera angles that captured the scuffle that preceded Mr. Dale Mooney’s illness during Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium,” it said. read in the press release from the district attorney’s office.
“The preliminary results of the autopsy do not suggest any traumatic injury, but rather a medical condition,” it was added. The cause and circumstances of death remain unclear and merit in-depth examination. »
The district attorney’s office did not specify the nature of Mooney’s medical condition.
Among the testimonies collected by numerous local media, Joey Kilmartin indicated that he saw Mooney, a Patriots fan, attack a Miami Dolphins fan with whom he had a spat for most of the game. of the meeting – which was won by the Dolphins.
“He basically took the fight to the other fan,” Kilmartin told the Boston Globe. Spectators tried to separate them, he continued, but “then a man wearing a Dolphins jersey joined him and punched him twice, hitting him in the head. It was pretty innocuous, except that about 30 seconds later the victim was lying on the ground.”
Mooney’s wife, Lisa Mooney, said she feels an immense void and wants answers about the circumstances that led to her husband’s death. Mooney had been a Patriots season ticket holder for about 30 years.
Violence between supporters, especially between supporters of rival clubs, is a scourge that is not new. In 2011, San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was beaten by Los Angeles Dodgers fans in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium.
Last May, CF Montreal had to close its section usually reserved for groups of supporters of the opposing team at Saputo stadium in preparation for a match against Toronto FC.
This decision was taken due to “unfortunate and unacceptable” incidents that occurred during the duel between the two teams in Toronto in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Soccer Championship. A video then surfaced on social media in which supporters of TFC and CF Montreal came to blows.