WHEATON, Ill. -- A Mason High School alumnus wasn't paying attention when he was struck and killed by a hammer thrown at a track and field meet outside Chicago last month, according to police.
Wheaton Police Detective Andrew Unlir said Ethan Roser was watching two other volunteers play with a stick during warmups of the April 22 event at Wheaton College instead of focusing on the hammer throw event as he had been instructed, the Chicago Tribune reported.
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Uhlir said Roser had finished his shift marking where the throws landed but had stayed to cover another volunteer when he was hit by the hammer -- a steel wire attached to a heavy metal ball. Competitors spin around several times before releasing, or "throwing," it.
The 19-year-old Roser graduated from Mason in 2016. He was a three-year letterman and helped his high school team to a state title and two regional championships. He played club soccer for Cincinnati United Premier.
Roser was a freshman transfer student at Wheaton when he died. Wheaton is a Christian, liberal arts college about 25 miles west of Chicago.
