Sad news out of Turner Field: Saturday night Atlanta Braves fan Gregory Kent Murrey fell to his death from the upper deck after landing 40 feet on the concrete below.
The Braves were in the top of the seventh inning against the New York Yankees, and Murray was among the 49,000 fans booing Alex Rodriguez as he came to bat. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“We’re all dealing with the sadness and the tragedy of it, for the gentleman’s family and anybody who happened to witness it,” Braves President John Schuerholz said Sunday. “It’s difficult, and that’s what our focus is right now…trying to do everything we can to help the families deal with this as best as possible. Not only the family of the gentleman, but others who witnessed it, experienced it.”…
More than 49,000 people were at the Braves’ Saturday night game, but many were unaware of the commotion that happened behind home plate. Others saw an image they can’t forget: the 60-year-old Murrey falling head first, somehow avoiding landing on anyone else as he hit the concrete below.
Murrey was among those booing, and he had stood up from his second-row seat in the 400 level when he lost his balance, witnesses said. He passed through those in the front row as he toppled over the railing, landing in section 202.
The Atlanta game broadcasters took note of the accident and called for a halt to the game, but the decision was made to play on.
Murrey is the third fan to die in a Turner Field accident, but one was a suicide. An autopsy will determine whether alcohol was a factor in the accident.