The San Diego Police Department is investigating after a 40-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son died late Saturday afternoon at Petco Park as fans were heading inside the stadium to watch the Padres play the Atlanta Braves.
The woman and her child fell the equivalent of six stories from a picnic table bench in a concessions area on the top deck of the park to the street below and were pronounced dead about 20 minutes after police were alerted to the incident. The child’s father was at the ballpark when the deaths occurred and police have spoken with him.
In a news release, police said the deaths “appeared to be suspicious” and that the homicide unit was called to the scene “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Our hearts obviously go out to the family, but also to the people who here could potentially be traumatized who saw this,” homicide Lt. Andra Brown told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s a horrible, horrible thing. That’s why we’re giving it a very serious look.”
Kathryn Benson-Billing witnessed the fall while she was having a snack in the concessions area and told The Washington Post that she still couldn’t “figure out how exactly it happened.”
“I keep reliving it and reliving it,” she said. “Everybody was in shock. It just happened so fast.”
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life at Petco Park last evening,” the Padres said in a written statement released Sunday morning. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of those involved. We will continue to refrain from comment on the nature of the incident as it is an ongoing investigation by the San Diego Police Department.”
Police are continuing to investigate and have asked anyone who witnessed the incident to call the San Diego police at 619-531-2293 or leave a tip with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
More Like This
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
