The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man died and three people were taken in for questioning after an altercation that happened Sunday in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium as the Kansas City Chiefs played the Denver Broncos.
Kansas City police spokesman Darin Snapp said that the incident was being treated as a homicide but that no arrests had been made. Snapp said the man who died was found inside someone else’s vehicle and a struggle ensued.
When paramedics arrived, the man, who was in his 20s, was found lying unconscious on the pavement, Snapp said. Paramedics began administering first aid before he was transported to a hospital, where he died. His name was not immediately released.
“Talking to several witnesses that were out here in the parking lots, there was an individual who came back to his vehicle, saw someone inside the vehicle that did not belong. A struggle ensued between the two. That’s when the individual (who had been inside the vehicle) collapsed,” Snapp said.
Snapp said the man who had returned to the vehicle had his son with him, and the boy -- whose age was not immediately known -- ran for help when the struggle began.
Snapp said there were no obvious indications of how the death occurred.
“We don’t know if the person had a health condition, had a heart attack. We don’t know,” Snapp said. “We’re going to investigate this as a homicide until we hear differently. Right now it’s a suspicious death but we are going to investigate it as a homicide.”
Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews said the team is aware of the incident but cannot comment further because of the police investigation.
Flashing lights from ambulances and police cars were visible across the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot as cars tried to leave after the game.
The death came one year to the day after Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, on Dec. 1, 2012, at a home not far from the stadium. Belcher then drove to the team’s practice facility and fatally shot himself in front of then-coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli.
In September 2012, a gunman attacked a Kansas City Royals employee in the same parking lot, which services Kauffman Stadium as well. The gunman shot the employee once in the abdomen and then returned to his vehicle and committed suicide.
Snapp said police were speaking to several witnesses after Sunday’s fatal incident, and that three people had been taken to the Kansas City Police Department’s headquarters for questioning.
“Right now they’re persons of interest,” Snapp said. “Like I said, until we find out exactly how this person passed away, we’re going to investigate it as a homicide. They’re not suspects right now until we find out exactly what happened.”