Two Charged In Connection With Death Of Patriots Fan At Game
Foxboro Police charged two men in connection with the September death of a Patriots fan at Gillette Stadium, according to multiple reports Thursday.
John Vieira, 59, and Justin Mitchell, 39, of Warwick, R.I., both were charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct for their roles in an altercation that led to the death of Dale Mooney, a 53-year-old Patriots season ticket holder from Newmarket, N.H.
Mooney’s death was ruled a homicide, with the cause of death determined to be a “probable cardiac dysrhythmia in a person with severe hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during a physical altercation,” according to The Associated Press.
Providence NBC station WJAR summarized the court documents released on the incident, which occurred in the stadium’s upper deck during New England’s Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins:
“Police officers from various departments were working security and responded to a fight and crafted a narrative included in court documents. According to those court documents, police obtained video footage of the incident that showed Mitchell, Vieira, Mooney, and another man engaging in a struggle Investigators said they received 12 videos from attendees who recorded the fight. One of the videos investigators received shows that after a verbal argument, Mooney allegedly grabbed onto Mitchell and a tussle ensued, according to the documents.
“The police narrative then says Mooney and Mitchell continue to struggle with another man in between them. The police narrative says Vieira is seen punching Mooney in the area of the head. Mooney appears to be punched in the face one or two times before he throws Mitchell across his body and over the seats below, according to court documents. At some point, Mooney loses consciousness, according to the document. He was later pronounced dead at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro.”
Viera and Mitchell reportedly are scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 19 and 26, respectively.