Military officer dies after plummeting 150 feet from stadium rafters during display at football game
The incident occurred before a college football game at the Alamodome stadium in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 17
NEED TO KNOW
- A military service member died during a display at Alamodome Stadium in San Antonio, Texas
- The accident occurred before the University of Texas at San Antonio home game on Saturday, Oct. 17
- An investigation has been launched into the incident, according to Nellis Air Force Base
A U.S. Air Force service member died after plummeting 150 feet from stadium rafters in San Antonio, Texas.
The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 17, ahead of a University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) and Naval Academy game at the Alamodome Stadium, San Antonio Express-News, News 4 San Antonio and KSAT reported, citing the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD).
The airman was participating in a rappelling demonstration with three other service members as part of UTSA’s Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans night. While descending from the stadium rafters, he slid and crashed to the ground, according to the outlets.
The accident reportedly took place 15 minutes before the game was set to kick off.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The unidentified service member was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital, where he died from his injuries, News18 and News 4 San Antonio reported.
A spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base confirmed the death of a service member who was assigned to the Sixth Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, per Task and Purpose.
“The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available,” the spokesperson told the outlet.
UTSA said in a statement following the incident, “We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues.”
“We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellbeing services to support our faculty, staff and students,” the statement added.
Photos from the scene show several UTSA members surrounding the airman on the field after the fatal fall, as medics tended to him in front of horrified spectators.
Witness Adrian Corey told KSAT, “Once the band started playing, there was a guy that fell down and started coming down fast. Everybody was quiet; the band stopped performing — everybody was dead silent.”
The SAFD, Nellis Air Force Base and Alamodome Stadium did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
