Report: Suspect Charged in December Arrowhead Stadium Death

Dec 1, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; General view of the Arrowhead Stadium during the NFL game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately all the news in the NFL and Chiefs Kingdom isn’t good today. There’s a story that had a much worse ending than professional football hopefuls preparing to show their stuff at the NFL Combine.

While the Kansas City Chiefs were trying to upset the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on December 1, Smithville resident Kyle Van Winkle had mistakenly gotten into the wrong vehicle in the parking lot. When the owners of the vehicle — which looked identical to the one Van Winkle had ridden to the game in — returned, they found Van Winkle asleep inside.

Apparently the owners alerted other tailgaters in the parking lot — including Missouri man, 23-year-old Joshua Bradley — who confronted Van Winkle. During the confrontation Bradley allegedly struck Van Winkle several times in the head. Van Winkle later died.

Immeidately after the incident, it was unclear what the cause of the confrontation was, causing many to believe it was a Chiefs fan on Denver Broncos fan crime. Twitter immediately exploded with condemnation of the violence. However, after a lengthly investigation, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker formally charged Bradley with involuntary manslaughter.

According to Missouri Revised Statutes, Bradley will be charged with second-degree manslaughter which is a Class D felony in Missouri. If convicted, Bradley could face up to five years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.

Sad day, indeed.