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Man Released on Bail Over Mid-Game Death of American Ice Hockey Star

The unidentified man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter.

British authorities said Wednesday that a man taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter—connected to the fatal on-ice throat slash of the American hockey player Adam Johnson—was released Wednesday after posting bail. Police are yet to identify the suspect, but the opposition player who initiated the fatal hit was Matt Petgrave, a player on the Sheffield Steelers. Petgrave’s leg could be seen going airborne and slicing Johnson’s throat in the middle of the Oct. 28 game. Johnson tried to skate off the ice with a bleeding neck but he collapsed in front of 8,000 horrified spectators and a live TV audience. Ever since, observers and hockey veterans have debated whether the collision was a “freak accident,” as Johnson’s team described it, or something more sinister, as suggested by the NHL veteran Sean Avery. Police did not say how much cash was needed to post bail, and did not release any other details.