Clifton Park Native Patrick Casey Dies In Late Night Fight

This morning I saw a story that broke my heart. A Clifton Park native named Patrick Casey, died after being in a coma that resulted from a punch in the head. He was involved in a fight that happened at a McDonald's in Washington D.C. He was not the cause of the fight , or even an intended target, he was merely trying to break the fight up before anyone got hurt.

Patrick Casey was 33. He grew up in Clifton Park and played football for Shen. After going to R.P.I. he enlisted in the U.S. Army and did his tours in Afghanistan. He came home last year, and was doing graduate work at George Washington University. By all accounts a "gentile giant".

As I sit here and think about his parents, how they must feel, I can't help but wish we lived in a world where every kid learns that fighting is a last resort, not a solution to major dilemmas like, "Did you look at my girlfriend?" or "Hey man, I was in line first!" Alas, I am quite certain we are just too far from that day when, if you do try to raise your children to be more cerebral and less primal, you don't then have to worry about them being beaten by a neanderthal.

Such a stupid, senseless tragedy. It is stories like this that I wish people would think about before they decide to even think about throwing a punch, even one.  Unfortunately, it is seldom the great thinkers of our society who are actually coming to blows with each other. If People were more civil perhaps Patrick Casey would still be alive.

God Bless his parents and all of the friends and family that will suffer so much from this senseless manslaughter and I hope and pray that the person who caused that pain for them will be given swift and severe punishment.  This was not a "tragic accident", an unforeseeable result of a squabble gone too far. While I am sure the person did not have intentions of killing anyone, I can assure you he had intentions of inflicting great pain, and that he accomplished.

Here is the story from our friends at News 10, WTEN

Clifton Park soldier died in Washington D.C. after breaking up a fight.