LONDON (AP) — It's been one year since the death of American hockey player Adam Johnson , whose neck was fatally cut by an opponent's skate during a game in Sheffield, England. A man remains under investigation after being arrested on suspicion of manslaughter . Thousands of fans witnessed the grisly collision last Oct.
28 and there's video of it but authorities have not announced a decision about whether they will bring charges. There could be a variety of explanations, from delays in digital forensic analyses to weighing the potential difficulty in proving criminality for “on-the-ball” incidents like this one. Johnson and the Nottingham Panthers were playing the Sheffield Steelers in the Elite Ice Hockey League's cup competition.
The Steelers were leading 2-1 in the second period. Johnson, a forward who briefly played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, skated with the puck into Sheffield’s defensive zone. As he pivoted to move inside, Steelers defenseman Matt Petgrave was skating toward him.
Petgrave had another Panthers player in front of him and appears to have made contact. Then, Petgrave’s left skate elevates as the defenseman begins to fall and the blade hits Johnson in the neck. Johnson, a Minnesota native who was 29, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The Panthers had described it as a “ freak accident .” On Nov. 14, South Yorkshire Police arrested a man but have not released his name or age.
The man was released on bail the next day and has been “ re.