An Air Force member died after falling while rappelling from the Alamodome's ceiling during a military tribute before a college football game in San Antonio, Texas.
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Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson was participating in the demonstration before Navy faced the University of Texas at San Antonio on Saturday. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, ABC News reported.
Patterson was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, according to a base spokesperson.
He had served in the Air Force for 15 years and was named the Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year in 2022.
Witnesses said Patterson was one of three service members rappelling from the stadium's ceiling during the ceremony honoring the Armed Forces and military veterans. The distance from the ceiling to the field was approximately 170 feet.
Adrian Corey, who attended the game and recorded the incident, told local station KSAT that spectators realized something was wrong when Patterson "started coming down fast."
San Antonio Fire Department spokesperson Joe Arrington said firefighters responded around 7 p.m. after receiving a report that someone had fallen during the pregame event.
UTSA subsequently announced support services for members of its campus community who witnessed the incident.
"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," a university spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN.
The information provided by authorities did not establish what caused Patterson's fall.
