LONDON (AP) 鈥� A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of has been told he will not face any charges, British prosecutors said Tuesday.
Johnson played for the Nottingham Panthers and died shortly after his neck had been sliced in a collision with Sheffield Steelers defenseman Matt Petgrave during a game on Oct. 28, 2023.
A man was arrested two weeks later and though South Yorkshire Police did not publicly identify him, Petgrave himself said in a crowdfunding appeal for legal fees that he was the subject of a police investigation.
On Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not bring criminal charges against the man arrested following what it described as 鈥渁 shocking and deeply upsetting incident.鈥�
鈥淭he CPS and South Yorkshire Police have worked closely together to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought against the other ice hockey player involved," Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Michael Quinn said.
鈥淔ollowing a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offense and so there will not be a prosecution. Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.鈥�
After his arrest, Petgrave had been re-bailed several times while the investigation took place. His representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
During the game, Johnson had skated with the puck into Sheffield鈥檚 defensive zone when Petgrave collided with another Panthers player nearby. Petgrave鈥檚 left skate elevated as he began to fall and the blade hit Johnson in the neck.
The native of Hibbing, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player sparked debate across the sport about .
Petgrave, a 33-year-old Canadian, had support from some of Johnson鈥檚 teammates. Victor Bj枚rkung had there 鈥渋sn鈥檛 a chance that it鈥檚 deliberate.鈥� Bj枚rkung had played the pass to Johnson and said he was traumatized by what he saw.
Johnson 鈥� one of in the Elite Ice Hockey League 鈥� was in his first season at Nottingham after stints in Germany and a handful of games for the Penguins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
Johnson was living with fianc茅e Ryan Wolfe and studying at Loughborough Business School.
The English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, reacted to Johnson鈥檚 death by requiring all players in England to from the start of 2024.
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