A 31-year-old suburban Detroit man has died after his parachute failed to open while attempting a BASE jump from a TV news tower in Jackson County, according to Michigan State Police.
Josh Sheppard, of Southfield, Mi., was killed after leaping from a 1,000-foot TV transmission tower in northern Jackson County's Rives Township on Wednesday evening, Michigan State Police Sgt. Kevin Caldwell confirmed on Thursday. BASE stands for building, antenna, span and earth, the Associated Press reported.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the BASE jumper made it past the gate of TV news station WLAJ ABC 53 and slipped into the news tower. According to authorities, he had not informed anyone that he was planning to trespass onto the property and attempt a base jump.
However he was killed after the parachute failed to deploy, Caldwell said, adding that the 31-year-old had not been granted permission to climb the tower, according to Fox News.
The incident was immediately reported to state police authorities by an employee of WLAJ-TV, an ABC affiliate. Firefighters from the Rives Tompkins Fire Department and Michigan State Police troopers from both the Jackson and Lansing posts responded to the scene along with Jackson Community Ambulance.
Although the death was initially ruled to be an accident by police authorities, Caldwell said it is now under investigation, CBS affiliate WLNS-TV reports.
