The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks said a fireworks mortar shell hit him in the chest during an incident Sunday that killed him in Novi, Michigan.
Oakland County chief medical examiner Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic told the Dispatch on Tuesday that Kivlenieks sustained "extensive" external injuries plus fatal injuries to his heart and lungs.
"Matiss Kivlenieks was struck by the mortar shell in the left side of his chest," Dragovic said.
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According to Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier, Kivlenieks was trying to escape from a hot tub along with other people after a mortar tube tilted toward them and fired.
Meier said the first round went over their heads and the second exploded "in the vicinity" of Kivlenieks, who fell out of the tub and hit his head on cement. Police initially believed the fall is what killed the 24-year old goalie, but Dragovic said there was no head trauma.
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A source initially told the Dispatch on Sunday that Kivlenieks' cause of death was a firework that struck him, and reports of him being struck in the chest were published in his home country of Latvia. Dragovic's assessment confirms those reports.
According to Meier, the shells being fired from the launch tube were three inches in diameter, which is the largest legal size that Michigan allows for consumer use. Professional fireworks shows usually use shells about twice that size or larger.
Meier said that no illegal activity has turned up in the ongoing investigation into the incident, which took place at a large social gathering reportedly to celebrate the marriage of Nick Howell and Sabrina Legace, daughter of Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace, who lives in Novi in the offseason.
Kivlenieks and Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins said last week they intended to spend this past weekend with Legace at his offseason residence and planned to leave for Michigan last Friday.
Police have not confirmed the incident took place at Legace's home and have not confirmed whether Legace was present. A voicemail left for Legace was not returned.
There are multiple reports about the wedding, citing the couple's wedding page and a description of the event as "Hawaiian themed."
Merzlikins posted a memorial to Kivlenieks on Instagram Monday that included a photo of both sitting by a swimming pool, wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis around their necks. An American flag hangs in the background and an unidentified woman is behind them, also wearing a lei.
"I really love you, I'll miss you," Merzlikins wrote in the post. "We had our last basketball game in the pool and we enjoyed (sic) before you left me right after. We love you and fly high, baby, fly high! You saved your last puck! You will be our guardian angel. R.I.P. #80."
Check back with Dispatch.com as more information becomes available on this breaking story.
@BrianHedger
