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(WBEN) Without providing any specifics, the Buffalo Bills say that the fan found dead behind the stadium last week was ejected from the Bills- Miami game for disorderly conduct.
David Gerken, 26, of Palmyra was reported missing by his brother when he didn't turn up at a prearranged meeting location after the game. An extensive search early Friday morning resulted in his body being found facedown in a small stream off California Road behind the Ralph Wilson Fieldhouse
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Here's the statement from the Buffalo Bills on Gerken's ejection:
"Arrests and ejections are routine aspects of our game day security procedures. While we do our best to control rowdy behavior, we are compelled to turn away some fans at the gate, eject some fans from the stadium for various offenses, and in extreme situations, arrest fans for criminal conduct." "In this instance, we can confirm that Mr. Gerken was ejected from the stadium for disorderly conduct at approximately 9:55 p.m. Disorderly conduct includes various forms of misbehavior. We continue to review the circumstances surrounding this particular ejection. Mr. Gerken was one of 94 fans ejected from that game. Our review of this incident is on-going and we continue to cooperate with law enforcement during its investigation." |
"At this time, the preliminary results are that it was an accidential drowning," Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz said Friday.
Hypothermia may have also played role, with no sign of any trauma or foul play involved, he added.
"I don't know that alcohol played a role," Benz said Friday.
But the Wayne County Sheriff's Department confirms Gerken has had a previous Driving While Intoxicated arrest.
The department tells WBEN that Gerken was charged with DWI after his car slammed into a house in Palmyra in May of 2010.
Gerken's family over the weekend told several media outlets that they don't believe he was drunk, and that he was ejected from the game while in the lavatory.
The Orchard Park Police Department last week released preliminary details about the autopsy, which ruled the death as an accidential drowning.
