Minneapolis skateboarder, graffiti artist ID'd as man who fell from Stone Arch Bridge
The body of a graffiti artist and well-known member of the Minneapolis skateboarding community was pulled from the Mississippi River on Tuesday..
Kyle Alexander, known for his KGOD graffiti tag, fell from the Stone Arch Bridge into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis on May 1. The 27-year-old's body was recovered from the river at the nearby Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam around 9:18 a.m. on May 25, according to the medical examiner's report released Friday.
The report notes his cause of death is still pending further investigation.
Alexander's friends and family told the Star Tribune he had climbed over the fence on the Stone Arch Bridge to go to a different level to put his tag "KGOD" on the bridge, when he slipped and fell into the river.
In addition to his popular street art, Alexander was a fixture at the Elliot Park skate park, so much so that there's a push to rename the park in his honor. A Change.org petition to urge Minneapolis city officials to rename it Kyle Alexander Park has 2,440 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
"Kyle’s energy and love had reached out to many people inside and outside the skate community," the petition says. "He was the person that always had a smile on his face, pushing you to do your best no matter what it was. Making you laugh when you were sad, and always making sure everybody was having a great time.
"Growing up, Kyle would skate at Elliot skate park and ended up making it a staple park for him. People knew, if you went to skate Elliot park, you were gonna see Kyle," the petition adds.
The petition says naming Elliot Park for Alexander would "give his family and the whole Minneapolis skate community a sense of relief and happiness through these hard times," adding that it's their goal to show the impact Alexander had on the world.
Those who knew Alexander are planning to gather on Saturday near East 35th Street and South Bloomington Avenue, where a mural will be painted to celebrate his life, according to social media posts.
The Star Tribune notes when businesses in Minneapolis put up plywood to cover windows during the Derek Chauvin trial, Alexander's skills as a graffiti artist were in high demand.
Family, friends and others have been paying tribute to Alexander on social media, using the hashtag #KGOD4L, where they're remembering his love for life and his infectious energy. Here's a sampling:
