Man Arrested Under Suspicion of Manslaughter in the Death of Hockey Player Adam Johnson

Nearly a month after Adam Johnson’s tragic passing, a man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

According to a statement by the South Yorkshire Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall, “A man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of former NHL player Adam Johnson, the South Yorkshire (England) Police announced Tuesday.”

The statement continued, adding, “the arrest comes more than two weeks since police began investigating the October 28 incident that led to Johnson’s death. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers when his throat was cut by a skate blade during a collision in a game against the Sheffield Steelers.”

“Johnson was 29. The player whose skate blade cut Johnson’s neck was Matt Petgrave, 31, who plays for Sheffield. South Yorkshire Police said in a statement that a postmortem examination confirmed Johnson died from a fatal neck injury. The man, whose identity was not released by the police, remains in custody.”

The statement was concluded with Horsfall saying, “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances. We have been speaking to highly specialized experts in their field to assist in our inquiries and continued to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.”

As Mamas Uncut previously reported, the fiancé of Adam Johnson is speaking out for the first time.

Adam Johnson was just 29 years old when he passed away doing what he loved the most, playing hockey. He died due to a catastrophic neck injury after colliding with one of his opponents during a game on October 28.

His girlfriend Ryan Wolf was at the game and according to Fox News, witnessed the tragic event, running onto the ice once realizing what had happened.

Now Wolf is speaking out for the first time on social media. Alongside photos of herself with Johnson, Wolf wrote, “My sweet angel. I’ll miss you forever and love you always.” 

Currently, the South Yorkshire Police are investigating Johnson’s death. Prior to playing for the Nottingham Panthers, Johnson played two years for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Our officers remain at the scene carrying out inquiries and our investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident remain ongoing,” a statement from the South Yorkshire Police read. “We would encourage the public to avoid speculation regarding the incident while we continue our inquiries.”

The “freak accident” has left thousands devastated.

“Everyone at the club including players, staff, management, and ownership are heartbroken at the news of Adam’s passing,” the Nottingham Panthers said in a statement. “Our thoughts are also with the fans and staff of both clubs, especially those who attended or were following the game, who will be devastated following today’s news.” 

“The Panthers would like to thank everyone who rushed to support Adam last night in the most testing of circumstances.”