ARLINGTON, Texas -- A firefighter has been identified as the Texas Rangers fan who died after falling from the stands while reaching for a baseball tossed his way by All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said Friday the victim was 39-year-old Shannon Stone of Brownwood. City Manager Bobby Rountree says Stone had been a firefighter for nearly 18 years in Brownwood, located 150 miles southwest of Arlington.
Stone fell about 20 feet onto concrete Thursday night, tumbling over the left-field railing after catching the ball and falling into an area out of sight from the field as the Rangers faced Oakland. Stone's young son witnessed the fall during the second inning.
"We are deeply saddened to learn that the man who fell has passed away as a result of this tragic accident," Rangers president/CEO Nolan Ryan said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
The Rangers closed the clubhouse to the media after their 6-0 win.
The left-field wall is 14 feet high and the fan went headfirst over the railing, which is a few feet higher, for an approximately 20-foot drop. There was an audible gasp in the stands when the man tumbled over the rail, eerily similar to an accident last July when a man fell about 30 feet from the second deck of seats down the right-field line while trying to catch a foul ball. The area where the man fell Thursday is out of sight from the field.
The fan, wearing a blue Rangers cap and white Rangers shirt, was seated in the front row with his young son. According to others seated near him, the man was yelling at Hamilton for a foul ball that was hit by Conor Jackson and ricocheted into left field in the second inning. Hamilton flipped the ball toward the fan and the fan leaned over, caught it and toppled over in the gap between the railing and the back of the scoreboard on the left-field fence.
After the game, the team, including Hamilton, was told what happened.
