The witness said the Patriots fan who was fatally wounded was punched in the head

ESPN News ServicesSep 19, 2023, 08:05 PM ET2 Minute Reading

A person who attended Sunday night’s Miami Dolphins-New England Patriots game at Gillette Stadium said the man who died after what officials are calling an “incident” was punched in the head twice.

In an interview with several local media outlets, Joey Kilmartin said he saw Dale Mooney, a 53-year-old from Newmarket, New Hampshire, confront a rival Dolphins fan with whom he had an argument. for most of the game.

“He [Mooney] went to Section 311, and he basically fought one on one with another fan,” said Kilmartin. The Boston Globe. “A lot of people started trying to pull them off… It looked like someone was in between them. And then a guy wearing a Dolphins jersey came up, and he connected two punches to the victim’s head. No something crazy or unusual until, 30 seconds later, the guy didn’t get up.”

Kilmartin took a video of what he said happened at the Foxborough, Massachusetts, stadium.

Police and crews responded to the upper deck of the facility just before 11 p.m. and found Mooney “in apparent need of medical attention,” the Norfolk County district attorney’s office said in a statement. Monday in a news release. Mooney was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.

The results of an autopsy are expected this week, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said.

Massachusetts State Police are investigating what happened.

“Numb. I feel numb. I can’t believe it’s real,” Mooney’s wife, Lisa, told Boston’s WCVB-TV. “I want to know what happened. What caused it?”

Gillette Stadium officials said in a statement they were “saddened” to learn of the death of Mooney, who they described as a lifelong Patriots fan and a 30-year season-ticket holder.

“We continue to work with local authorities to assist them in their ongoing investigation,” the statement said. “We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Dale’s family and to all who mourn his loss.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.