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AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A baseball fan who fell to his death trying to catch a ball at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, was identified Friday as 39-year-old firefighter Shannon Stone of Brownwood.
Stone, 39, from the small town three hours southwest of the ballpark, was trying to catch a ball tossed by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton during the game between the Rangers and the Oakland Athletics. He fell 20 feet from his seat in the lower left field Section 5, officials said.
"We're about making memories, about family entertainment, and last night we had a father and son at the game and had a very tragic incident," Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan told reporters during a news conference. "And it just drives it to the core of what we're about, and the memories that we try to make in this game for our fans."
Stone's young son, Cooper, was standing next time when he toppled over the railing.
Major League Baseball issued a statement saying it would "carefully review" the incident.
Ryan told reporters that he had spoken with Stone's wife at her home in Brownwood, about three hours southwest of the ballpark in Arlington, on Friday.
"She's very concerned about their son and the impact that this is having on him," Ryan said. "Rightly so."
His fall was captured on video, though he landed out of sight of cameras, and distributed far and wide over the Internet and on television newscasts on Friday.
Ryan said Shannon's family asked him to request that the media stop playing the video, which also shows a bystander trying to grab Shannon as he fell, and his son looking down at him.
"So I ask you all today as I sit here if you all would refrain from showing that out of respect to the family," he said. "I feel like that is the decent thing for us to do and for you all to do."
The team plans to set up a memorial fund for the Stone family. The city of Brownwood has funds set up through the Bank of America and the Brownwood Chamber of Commerce.
Stone was a 17-year veteran of the fire department in Brownwood, said City Manager Bobby Rountree.
In July 2010, an area firefighter, Tyler Morris, suffered minor injuries when he fell from the stands at Rangers Ballpark trying to catch a foul ball.
(Editing by Greg McCune)
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Stone, 39, from the small town three hours southwest of the ballpark, was trying to catch a ball tossed by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton during the game between the Rangers and the Oakland Athletics. He fell 20 feet from his seat in the lower left field Section 5, officials said.
"We're about making memories, about family entertainment, and last night we had a father and son at the game and had a very tragic incident," Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan told reporters during a news conference. "And it just drives it to the core of what we're about, and the memories that we try to make in this game for our fans."
Stone's young son, Cooper, was standing next time when he toppled over the railing.
Major League Baseball issued a statement saying it would "carefully review" the incident.
Ryan told reporters that he had spoken with Stone's wife at her home in Brownwood, about three hours southwest of the ballpark in Arlington, on Friday.
"She's very concerned about their son and the impact that this is having on him," Ryan said. "Rightly so."
His fall was captured on video, though he landed out of sight of cameras, and distributed far and wide over the Internet and on television newscasts on Friday.
Ryan said Shannon's family asked him to request that the media stop playing the video, which also shows a bystander trying to grab Shannon as he fell, and his son looking down at him.
"So I ask you all today as I sit here if you all would refrain from showing that out of respect to the family," he said. "I feel like that is the decent thing for us to do and for you all to do."
The team plans to set up a memorial fund for the Stone family. The city of Brownwood has funds set up through the Bank of America and the Brownwood Chamber of Commerce.
Stone was a 17-year veteran of the fire department in Brownwood, said City Manager Bobby Rountree.
In July 2010, an area firefighter, Tyler Morris, suffered minor injuries when he fell from the stands at Rangers Ballpark trying to catch a foul ball.
(Editing by Greg McCune)
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