The death of a Missouri man at Arrowhead Stadium while the Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Denver Broncos last Sunday was officially ruled a homicide by police Wednesday, but the police reported that it could take weeks until the investigation concludes on what actually killed the man.
According to The Associated Press, Kyle Van Winkle, 30, of Smithsville was unconscious on the ground when police responded to a call about a disturbance around 5:20 p.m. in Lot A of Truman Sports Complex, the location of Arrowhead Stadium.
AP reports that police spokesman Darin Snapp announced the Jackson County medical examiner's ruling on Wednesday, but said it won't change the way the case is being handled.
"Detectives have been working the case as a homicide from the beginning, so the investigation will not change," Snapp said, according to The Associated Press.
According to AP, Van Winkle is the son of a police sergeant and left the game early to go to the parking lot. The report states that according to Kansas City police spokesman Tye Grant, Van Winkle got into a Jeep vehicle that looked like the one that he came to the game in.
The report indicates that the Jeep's owner eventually came back to the Jeep and saw Van Winkle in it and began arguing with him as nearby tailgaters came by and began fighting with Van Winkle. Eyewitness News reports that Winkle was found bloodied up after being punched in the face repeatedly, and that good samaritans attempted CPR on him.
The Kansas City Star reports that Kyle's father Dean Van Winkle said that Kyle left his seat to go to the bathroom but never came back and didn't appear to be intoxicated or ill when he left.
"He collapsed during the struggle and was found to be not breathing," Grant said via The Associated Press. "That's when a person at the scene began doing CPR on him."
According to AP, police said it could be four to six weeks until it is known what caused his death. Van Winkle was taken to the hospital after the collapse but was eventually pronounced dead.
Four people were taken into custody for questioning, the report states, but none of them were charged with anything and the police executed a search warrant Monday on a home in a suburb of Kansas City and confiscated a No.25 Chiefs jersey, a pair of jeans and tennis shoes.
Van Winkle leaves behind a wife and a seven-week old son.
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