Student rammed into hotel window before falling to his death, witness says
NEW ORLEANS -- Cole Whaley, a university student who authorities said fell to his death through a hotel window, repeatedly yelled “let’s go swimming” and rammed into the window before it broke, a witness reportedly told police.
The witness said Whaley rammed into the window -- in a DoubleTree Hotel room in New Orleans -- three times with his shoulder, according to a New Orleans Police Department incident report obtained by The New Orleans Advocate, CBS affiliate WWL reported.
One witness told police that Whaley was “yelling and screaming” in his room following an event earlier on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, according to the police report. Whaley also reportedly said to his friends a number of times, “I wish we had a balcony so that we could view this awesome pool below us” -- before the window’s glass shattered.
A fraternity brother of Whaley’s told police that he had asked Whaley earlier in the night to stop ramming the hotel window, since he saw that the glass was shaking, according to the police report.
One fraternity brother told officers Whaley was “highly intoxicated,” according to the police report. The final cause of death is under investigation.
“We are still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but our understanding is that he alone broke out the window and then fell out of it,” NOPD 8th District Commander Nick Gernon said. “He was running into it at some point and accidentally broke it out and lost his balance and fell out the window.”
“The Coroner’s Office will give us the final report, and that will be part of their findings, so I really can’t speak of his level of or lack of intoxication,” Gernon said.
Whaley, a 20-year-old University of Southern Mississippi student, broke through the 11th-floor hotel window early on Saturday and landed on the hotel’s pool deck on the 4th floor, authorities said. Whaley was in New Orleans for a Pi Kappa Phi off-campus function, according to the university.
Whaley’s obituary said he was a resident of Spanish Fort, Alabama, near Mobile. It said he was an honors student with a full academic scholarship and a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
On Tuesday, plywood covered the window at the DoubleTree Hotel, which is located on Canal Street.
Whaley’s preliminary cause of death has been classified as “blunt force injuries” consistent with a 75-foot fall, the Orleans Parish Coroner said on Tuesday, WWL reported.
A DoubleTree spokesman released a statement following the incident.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident that occurred over the weekend,” the statement said, WWL reports. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this young man and we continue to offer our sincere condolences as they manage through this ordeal. The well-being of our guests and team members remain our top priority. The hotel is cooperating fully with the police investigation.”
The university said in a statement its community was mourning Whaley’s death.
“We are all saddened by this tragedy, and are reaching out to his family, friends and loved ones to offer our prayers and support,” Eddie Holloway, Dean of Students, said.