Authorities told the Sacramento Bee that the man appears to have been a tagger who was trying to paint some graffiti on the facade of the building. The latest was discovered Monday morning after employees at a high-rise at 1201 K St. reported seeing a body hanging from rope outside the 16th floor. On Monday, Gigante said the deaths of the two apparent taggers "look like they are completely independent issues." Battalion Chief Craig Wiedenhoeft, of the Sacramento Fire Department, said the man they removed Monday accidentally asphyxiated himself. At some point Monday morning, it appears the man tied a rope around himself, authorities said. But they don't think he was a window washer.
– After locals spotted a body dangling from a Sacramento building yesterday morning, police have been postulating about what he was up to. Their theory: The 30-something man, who was hanging from at least nine stories up, was a graffiti artist. He had a rope tied around him, rappelling-style, and a spray paint can and etching tool were found atop the building, the Los Angeles Times reports. A fire department rep tells the Sacramento Bee that the cause of death was accidental asphyxiation. "He got pulled into a fetal position when the rope cinched up on him," explains the battalion chief, who noted the man used what the Bee describes as "an antiquated mountaineering technique" to make his way down the building. Confirms the manager of a local climbing store, "It's not used much anymore. There is equipment that is a lot more efficient, so nobody really does it." In an odd coincidence, the Bee notes that the man is the second apparent graffiti artist to die in the course of tagging in Sacramento in just 15 days; the other fell from a highway overpass.