A man was impaled and killed after falling from a catwalk on Friday night at a rock concert in Chicago.
Kyle Kirchoff, 24, was watching the hard rock band Chevelle at the Aragon Ballroom when around 10:30 p.m. he fell eight feet to his death. According to The New York Daily News, Kirchoff was impaled by two metal rods in the fall. The concert was stopped and Kirchoff was rushed to Weiss Memorial Hospital where he was later declared dead.
The incident is still being investigated and details regarding the fall have not been released.
Kirchoff graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa with a degree in sports management in 2013. He was an assistant coach for the football team at Bartlett High School, where he also graduated from.
"He was an incredible guy," Matt Foster, head football coach at the high school, told the Chicago Tribune. "The kids loved him. He was a quiet kid, but he had tremendous values. That's what really stuck out with me. If he was your friend, he was your friend for good."
Chevelle took to Facebook to release an official statement on the matter:
"An extremely unfortunate event occurred at our show in Chicago Friday night.
We were asked by police to stop our set so that the authorities could tend to an injured fan. Once the severity of the accident was determined the authorities cleared out the venue to give them time to investigate. We want to thank our Chicago fans for their respect of the authorities and for understanding that these decisions made by the authorities were out of our control...
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Chevelle fan Kyle Kirchhoff and at this time we ask that you all keep Kyle and his family in your thoughts and prayers."
According to the Cook County medical examiner's office, an autopsy "did not reveal an immediate cause or manner of death." The venue has not made an official statement on the incident yet.
