SF's Department of Building Inspection is reportedly going to revisit the Chase Center just over two years after it opened, following the debacle at Sunday's Phish show in which two separate falls occurred from upper balconies.
In the days since Sunday's concert, the SFPD has confirmed that the fatality that occurred as a result of a fall from an upper level of the arena happened because the individual jumped intentionally over a plexiglass barrier.
Public information Officer Robert Rueca said that "the investigation has evidence to believe the victim leapt from an elevated area of the arena causing him to fall a significant distance, which caused his injuries." Rueca added that no foul play is suspected, and "Immediately before the victim leapt, he did not appear to have any physical contact with any person or barrier/railing."
Whether this act of suicide was the result of intoxication or actual suicidal intent may not ever be publicly known.
After receiving a complaint from a concertgoer, the Department of Building Inspection is obligated to send an inspector in for a visit from the code enforcement division, as the Chronicle reports. Regardless of the outcome, the Warriors have their first home game at the arena Thursday, and then the Eagles are playing two shows there this weekend.
On Tuesday, we learned that the man who died was 47-year-old Ryan Prosser of Athens, NY. And Phish frontman Trey Anastasio spoke out on stage during the band's performance in Eugene, Oregon last night about the events of Sunday.
"At the last show we played, we had some really awful stuff that happened. And I — well, we — need to say a couple of words about how heartbroken we all are," Anastasio said.
He pointed out the closeness of the Phish fan community, saying that the band had a personal connection to the second man who fell and was injured, Keith Thompson.
"Just to show you how tightly knit our community, his wife Carrie is the event manager for the Sacramento Phish concert. This is how close we all are,” he said. “He is in the hospital and we want to send our love to him and to Carrie."
Anastasio said of Prosser's death, "We send our love to the Prosser family and we’re sorry that this all took place."
He also mentioned that the man who was injured by Thompson's fall, Oakland resident Evan Reeves, was able to come back and watch the rest of the show in a wheelchair before getting picked up to get his broken leg looked at at Alta Bates Hospital.
Update: DBI says that two code inspectors have found the Chase Center to be "fully code-compliant," and "we consider the issue closed."
Previously: Two Separate Falls at Chase Center Phish Concert Leave One Dead, Two Others Injured