UPDATE @ 1:10 p.m. (April 24)
Ethan Roser, the 2016 Mason High School graduate who died as a result of an accident at a Wheaton College track and field event over the weekend, was struck by an errant throw during warmups of the hammer throw event, Wheaton Police Deputy Chief Bill Murphy told the Associated Press today.
Roser, 19, was volunteering at the event to mark the distances that were thrown by the competitors and he was standing off to the side from where the tethered metal balls land when he was struck in the head by an errant throw, according to AP’s report.
The fatal incident remains under investigation, but there is no indication of criminal negligence, according to AP’s report.
Ethan Roser grew up in Zimbabwe where his parents were missionaries and transferred in January to Wheaton College where he played soccer, according to AP’s report.
EARLIER (April 23)
A Mason High School graduate and freshman at Wheaton College died in an accident while volunteering at a track and field event.
It happened late Saturday afternoon at the college near Chicago. Ethan Roser, 19, was struck during the hammer throw event in which competitors throw a weighted, tethered iron ball, Wheaton College released in a statement.
Roser was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.
Ethan was a 2016 graduate of Mason High School where he played soccer, according to MaxPreps.com.
"Our hearts are heavy as we absorb the news about this tragedy. All of Ethan's family and friends are in our thoughts as we mourn together," Mason City Schools Spokeswoman Tracey Carson said in a statement to our news partner WCPO-Ch. 9 in Cincinnati.
Wheaton College President Philip Ryken’s statement reads, “We are deeply grieved, but, because of our faith in Christ, not without hope. We ask people to pray for Ethan's family, his friends, and our campus community.”
