The University of Texas at San Antonio had a game against Navy on Saturday.
But there was a tragic moment during a demonstration before the game that was supposed to honor the military and veterans.
An Air Force commando who fell from the 170-foot rafters in front of thousands of horrified fans at a University of Texas at San Antonio football game Saturday has died.
The airman slipped while rappelling from the roof of the Alamodome before the UTSA game against Navy — and plunged to the ground.
The service member, who was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, was mortally injured during a pregame demonstration at the school’s “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game.
He was attended to on the field by the field medical team before he was taken off the field on a stretcher in a cart and then to the hospital, where he unfortunately died.
Videos on social media appear to show him sliding rapidly down the rope out of control during a fast-rope demonstration and landing in the middle of the field.
UTSA officials expressed concern for the airman and for fans present during the fall.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues,” a university spokesperson told the outlet.
“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.”
The incident is now being investigated to determine what happened.