Former Dallas Cowboys NFL star Gavin Escobar was one of two people to die in a horror rock climbing incident in California on Wednesday.
He was climbing a rock face at the Sen Bernardino National Forest when the tragic accident happened. He was aged just 31.
Fellow climber Chelsea Walsh, 33, also died at the park in Idyllwild.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency crews who hiked to the bodies. No other details surrounding their deaths are currently available.
Fire officials in California said they received reports of a climbing accident involving two injured people near Tahquitz Rock at noon on Wednesday.
Escobar was chosen in the 2013 NFL draft by the Cowboys having previously attended San Diego State.
He spent the majority of his career in Dallas and also represented the Chiefs, Ravens, Dolphins and Browns before retiring in 2019.
Escobar started a new career as a firefighter with the Long Beach Fire Department in February this year.
In a statement, the department said: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the off-duty death of Long Beach Firefighter Gavin Escobar.
"Hired on February 5, 2022, Firefighter Escobar was assigned to Fire Station 3 on B-shift.
"Prior to being a Long Beach Firefighter, Gavin Escobar played professional football for the NFL where he spent most of his time with the Dallas Cowboys."
Escobar is survived by his wife and two young children.
