The accidental death of a hockey player in England now has resulted in an arrest. Police in South Yorkshire, England, arrested an unnamed person in connection with the death of Adam Johnson, a professional hockey player who died last month after the blade of a skate slashed his neck during a game.
The man was charged with suspicion of manslaughter and is still in police custody. He was arrested on Tuesday and released on bail on Wednesday, pending further inquiries.
“Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall in a statement.
Who Was Arrested?
So far, police have not revealed the name of the person arrested, which might be for good reason. Johnson, the victim, was white, and the hockey player who accidentally sliced his neck was Black.
31-year-old Matt Petgrave, who plays for the Sheffield Steelers, was the other player involved in the horrible incident.
On October 28th, the 29-year-old Johnson played for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers. Viral video of the incident shows Johnson skating with the puck toward the Steelers’ net. As Petgrave glided toward Johnson, he collided with another Panthers player and was knocked off his feet, with his left skate kicking up and stricking Johnson in the neck as he fell to the ice.
Johnson suffered the injury during the second period of the game.
After both players landed on the ice, Petgrave instantly got to his feet, while Johnson tried to rise slowly and required help off the ice. The game was stopped, and Johnson received emergency treatment on the ice before being transported to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Horrible Tragedy
The post-mortem examination confirmed Johnson died as a result of a fatal neck injury, per reports.
The two played in the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s home arena in central England during an Elite Ice Hockey League Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers. Nottingham and the EIHL described the collision as a “freak accident.”
At the time of the incident, many fans on social media immediately called for Petgrave’s arrest, believing that the play was dirty.
