Thoughs and prayers to the victims family.
Here are a few thoughts.
1- How much "power" can a 17 year old have to knock someone into a coma?
The teenager, quite a bit heavier than Portillo, began arguing with the referee, then punched him in the face. Portillo seemed fine at first, then asked to be held because he felt dizzy. He sat down and started vomiting blood, triggering his friend to call an ambulance.
When police arrived around noon, the teenager was gone and Portillo was laying on the ground in the fetal position. Through translators, Portillo told emergency workers that his face and back hurt and he felt nauseous. He had no visible injuries and remained conscious. He was considered to be in fair condition when they took him to the Intermountain Medical Center.
But when Portillo arrived to the hospital, he slipped into a coma with swelling in his brain.
2- After getting his leg and ribs broken, he must have loved being a ref to continue
I officiate HS football and I don't get rich doing it. Personally, I do it to give back to the game and for the camaraderie with my fellow offiicials. When that feeling is gone, it will be time for me to hang it up.
3- Am not a fan of courts getting involved with what happens on the playing field, but the victim died in the case. I wouldnt try him as an adult.
Read the quote from #1 above. It didn't happen as part of the play on the field. Makes no difference in this case whether it happened on an athletic field or a street corner. What this young man did should make him chargeable as an adult.
4- Am wondering if the victim had a pre-existing injury/non-discovered condition, as it seems unlikely dying from a 17 year old's punch.
Cheers, K
