Military Member Dies from Injuries Suffered from Fall Before Navy vs. UTSA Game

A military service member died due to injuries suffered during a demonstration prior to UTSA's matchup with Navy on Saturday, the Air Force confirmed.

"Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs issued a statement saying the service member, who was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, was injured at the stadium and died at a local hospital," according to ESPN.com. "The incident is under investigation. The Air Force base did not release the service member's identity."

UTSA released a statement following the incident, per ESPN's Max Olson: "We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight's game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues."

The injury occurred when when the airman fell while descending from the Alamodome rafters during a rappelling demonstration.

Kickoff was delayed by 10 minutes as the service member received medical attention before they were taken off the field on a stretcher. An official with the San Antonio Fire Department said that the patient was transported as priority one, per Natali Castillo of News 4 San Antonio.

"During the game, representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management and local authorities met with American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti and a working group to review the information available and discuss next steps," the American Conference said in a statement. "At the time of those discussions, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs had not publicly confirmed the service member's condition.

"Air Force casualty notification and information-release procedures establish safeguards for notifying families and publicly releasing casualty information. In accordance with conference bylaws and with the support of both participating member institutions, the conference made the decision to continue the game. Respect for the family's privacy and adherence to the military's notification process guided the decision to mitigate speculation about the service member's medical status and avoid additional distress for his family.

"Later, at 11:40 p.m. Eastern time, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed that the service member had been injured during the pregame demonstration and transported to a local hospital, where he later died. We are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who provided immediate care on the field. Our hearts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this tragedy."

Three other members of the military were part of the ceremony, which was for UTSA's Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans night.