Authorities are investigating whether a 15-year-old Elk Grove boy who fell to his death from a midtown Sacramento parking garage last week may have been practicing an extreme sport involving jumping, vaulting or acrobatic moves.
Sacramento County coroner's officials Tuesday identified the victim who fell from the eight-story structure at 28th and N streets as Kenneth Ta. He was an honor student at Franklin High School in Elk Grove and a member of the school's cross country and academic decathlon teams.
Sacramento County Coroner's Office spokesman Ed Smith said authorities are investigating whether Ta may have died accidentally after performing a maneuver or a stunt inspired by the French sport known as parkour.
Homicide has been ruled out as a cause, and there is no evidence so far indicating suicide, Smith said. But the cause of death remains uncertain, he added.
Smith said Ta's family and some friends told authorities that Ta was an aficionado of parkour. The activity involves jumping, vaulting, swinging and other moves by participants racing across landscapes, over stairs or walls, often in an urban setting.
"It seems like that is a very good possibility," said Smith, adding that it appears Ta was alone when he fell. "His family has speculated he was doing that. His best friend thinks he was doing that."
The investigation into the parking garage fall prompted American Parkour, a network promoting the "free running" sport, to post a safety advisory on its Web site.
"We want to remind everyone that safety and progression are ingrained in parkour training, and there is never any reason to practice that high up," the group said on its site. "It is dangerous and doesn't aid your training in any way. Every parkour community stresses the importance of eliminating risky behavior."
Eddie Tanimoto, a friend of Ta's since they sat next to each other at Toby Johnson Middle School in Elk Grove, said Ta "was a really energetic type of guy, who was always really happy, fun to be around and made everybody laugh."
Tanimoto said he wasn't familiar with parkour and had never spoken with his friend about the activity. But he said he was surprised when Ta told a mutual friend before his death that he planned to ride his bicycle to downtown Sacramento from Elk Grove.
"He was talking about taking Franklin Road all the way down," Tanimoto said.
At Franklin High School, Ta was a junior whose academic schedule was laden with advanced placement and honors courses, said Principal Charlotte Phinizy.
"He was a very well-liked kid," Phinizy said. "Many of our teachers were just devastated upon hearing the news. He was a well-mannered, respectful student. I only have good things to tell you."
Phinizy said a family service will be held for Ta today. The school plans to dedicate a tree to him in its memorial garden.
Call The Bee's Peter Hecht, (916) 326-5539. Bee researcher Sheila A. Kern contributed to this report.
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