Fan who fell to his death knew Braves stadium well

ATLANTA (AP) — Lifetime Atlanta Braves fan Ronald Lee Homer Jr. knew the stadium where he fell to his death well.

He attended three or four games a month at Turner Field and watched as many televised games as he could, his father said. He always had on a Braves hat.

On Monday night, Homer was waiting out a rain delay in a fourth-level smoking area with a 42-inch railing that would have come up to the 6-foot-6 fan's midsection. He'd told his mother during a phone conversation that the rain was letting up and he was about to head to his seat for the game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Shortly afterward, he fell about 85 feet into a parking lot.

"He said 'I love you mom, and I said 'I love you, too' and that was it," his mother, Connie Homer, told The Associated Press on Tuesday morning.

While it's not clear exactly why he fell, police say the death around 8:30 appears to have been an accident and didn't involve foul play. At least four witnesses told police that no one else was standing near him when he fell.

A police report released today says Homer was unconscious and wasn't breathing when paramedics arrived. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Toxicology tests were pending, but the medical examiner says he died from injuries in the fall.