Officials verified that a guy was unintentionally murdered at a high school track and field event in Colorado on Sunday morning after a competitor’s thrown hammer weight struck him after clearing barriers.
Around 9:30 a.m., the hammer—a weight linked to a handle that is swung in a circular motion and then thrown—went into the crowd instead of the field while the unnamed spectator was at a meet at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, according to a statement from the college.
Citing a statement from the Colorado United Track Club, local TV station KKTV said that the guy was the parent of a competitor who goes to a nearby high school. According to that statement, the athletes were instructed to return home following the mishap, and the remainder of the meet was canceled. The club has been approached by NBC News for a statement.
The college stated that the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, which is responsible for Colorado Springs, will disclose the victim’s identify.
“During a club sports track and field meet for high school students from across Colorado, taking place at the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse on the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs campus, a member of the attending audience was killed when a hammer thrown by a participant cleared certified barriers and struck him,” the statement read.
After responding to the scene and administering medical attention, police and the Colorado Springs Fire Department “ultimately pronounced the audience member dead at the scene.”
UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said in the statement, “We are devastated by this terrible accident and are committed to helping everyone involved.”
The track and field competition was one of three events in a series that started on December 15 of last year and were all hosted on the UCCS campus.