Autopsy Confirms Toran Died From Injuries : Stunned Raiders Say That They Will Devote Season to Former Teammate

OXNARD — Raider players and everyone else in camp down to the equipment boys wrote Stacey Toran’s No. 30 on their sleeves and pants with magic markers Monday as the team returned to practice for the first time since the death of its strong safety.

The Raiders worked against the Cowboys in Thousand Oaks. Afterward, Coach Mike Shanahan said it went pretty well.

Considering . . .

“I’m sure there was (a hangover effect),” Shanahan said. “To what extent, it’s hard to say. I know it’s in the back of everybody’s mind.”

Toran died Saturday night in a car accident a block from his Marina del Rey home.

An autopsy was performed Monday by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office, which confirmed that Toran had died of head and chest injuries. Toxicology reports are due in the next few days.

Toran will be buried in his native Indianapolis. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at the Maranatha Community Church at 1 p.m. in Los Angeles.

“I think the team right now--everybody feels the same way,” Shanahan said. “Everybody is stunned or shocked. They’ve lost a very close friend. And I know this service will be very special. It’ll be special to have a tribute for Stacey and his family.

“But at the same time, I know Stacey would like this football team to have a lot of success, to go out and fulfill that dream that Stacey had.

“I don’t want to get in the position of using this as a ploy. I’ve been asked too many questions like, ‘What are the positive effects?’ or ‘How are you going to use this positively?’ That bothers me. What’s positive? There’s nothing positive about it.

“This football team has said it wants to dedicate the season to Stacey Toran. And I think that’s great. That’s what it’s all about--that we play as well as we can play, try to win a championship and go on to the Super Bowl and dedicate it to someone like Stacey Toran, someone who was very special to everyone on the team.”

Hector Padilla of Los Angeles said he was interviewed by Los Angeles police as an eyewitness to the accident.

Padilla said he and three friends saw the crash from a vantage point in Glen Alla Park. Monday he said that he told police that he had estimated Toran’s speed to be 45-50 m.p.h, rather than the 35-45 m.p.h. stated in the police report.

Padilla says Toran was driving alongside a motorcycle when his car failed to negotiate the curve.

“I don’t know if he was chasing it, or playing around or not,” Padilla said.

However, Padilla says he didn’t tell the police about the motorcycle.

Why not?

“I don’t know why,” Padilla said.

One of the friends, Reuben Garcia, corroborated Padilla’s account. Garcia, too, said he couldn’t tell if the car and the motorcycle had been racing.

A spokesman for the West Traffic division, which is handling the investigation, confirmed that Padilla had been the eyewitness.