A man who died during a New England Patriots home game on Sunday had a “medical issue” and did not suffer from a “traumatic injury,” according to initial autopsy results, after the man was punched at least twice in the head during a fight with another fan.
The fan did not suffer a “traumatic injury” as an investigation into the incident is ongoing, the ... [+]
An autopsy found Dale Mooney, 53, had an unspecified “medical issue” that contributed to his death on Sunday, according to a statement Wednesday from Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
The autopsy results suggest Mooney did not suffer from a “traumatic injury,” Morrissey said, while Mooney’s cause of death remains “undetermined.”
Mooney’s wife told WCVB that both she and her husband were unaware of him having any medical condition.
Morrissey said an investigation into Mooney’s death is ongoing, after police officials had already conducted “numerous” interviews while examining multiple angles of video captured during the incident.
Mooney collapsed on Sunday after a “violent confrontation” with an unidentified fan in another section, witnesses told CNN, after Mooney—who attended the game with three friends—was “verbally taunted.”
No charges have been filed as a result of the incident, Morrissey’s office said.
$15,460. That’s how much a fundraiser for Mooney’s funeral expenses has raised across 380 donations since Tuesday. The GoFundMe page notes Mooney—who died from an “unexpected incident” during Sunday’s game—was a Patriots season-ticket holder for over 30 years.
Mooney—a resident of Newmarket, New Hampshire—attended Sunday night’s game between the Patriots and the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Mooney argued with an unidentified Dolphins fan sitting in another section for the first three quarters of the game, witnesses told the Boston Globe, before Mooney confronted the fan during the fourth quarter. Joey Kilmartin, a witness, told the Globe the exchange quickly became violent as other fans tried to separate them. A video of the incident was posted to social media, showing Mooney being hit at least twice in the head before collapsing. First responders subsequently performed CPR. Mooney was then transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he was pronounced dead.
Autopsy Finds Man Who Was Punched At New England Patriots Game Before He Died Had Medical Issue (Associated Press)