A New England Patriots fan died after a fight between rival fans in the stands.
Dale Mooney, 53, died after witnesses say the lifelong New England Patriots fan was punched in the head at Gillette Stadium.
Joe Kilmartin was there and captured the incident on video.
“Security had gone up and spoke to them,” in both the first and third quarters of the game, Kilmartin says.
Late in the fourth quarter with the Patriots losing to the Dolphins, Dale can be seen on video walking towards the man he had been arguing with.
“Some people tried to get in the middle of them. Somebody pulls his shirt over his head,” Kilmartin says. “His head popped up, the Dolphins fan delivered two punches to his head, he fell back into his seat, clearly unconscious and he never regained consciousness.”
Paramedics performed CPR on Mooney, but to no avail.
“The mood fell silent – somber … it was like we all knew we had seen somebody die,” Kilmartin says.
With the start of the NFL season, there has been more violence at stadiums across the country.
There were multiple fights at the New York Jets versus Cowboys game in Dallas on Sunday, leaving people bloodied and bruised. In Cincinnati, a man handcuffed on the ground headbutted a person he was arguing with.
Now a fan has died as a result of violence in the stands.
Mooney’s wife, Lisa, told a reporter, “I feel numb. I just can’t believe this is for real. I just don’t understand why people have to go to that extreme. Why can’t it just be fun.”
No charges have been filed in the death of Mooney. Authorities are waiting on autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
