Police said Monday they are investigating the death of an 82-year-old man as a homicide after he was assaulted and died of his injuries in Manhattan this fall.
According to the NYPD, Dean Conover Whetzel was pushed to the ground on Oct. 11 outside a cafe on the corner of Hudson and West 10th streets in the West Village. Officers responding to the incident around 1:30 p.m. found him unconscious on the sidewalk with a swollen right eye and a laceration to the back of his head.
First responders took him to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. Police arrested and charged 79-year-old Dana Escoffier with assault and a weapons offense in connection with the incident, NYPD officials said.
Whetzel was hospitalized until Nov. 5, when police said he succumbed to his injuries. City medical examiners ruled his death a homicide the next day.
Officials said Escoffier and Whetzel did not previously know each other. They live around the corner from each other, near the intersection where the alleged assault occurred, police said.
The NYPD said it’s still investigating the incident. Escoffier’s listed lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said it would provide any updates on Escoffier’s charges in court. According to a criminal complaint filed by the DA, Escoffier walked away after pushing Whetzel, saying he pushed him because Whetzel had bumped into him. A witness followed Escoffier and later identified him to police, the complaint states.
Police data shows there were two homicides this year through Nov. 30 in the Sixth Precinct, which includes the West Village and Greenwich Village. The precinct reported no homicides during the same period last year.
Charles Lane contributed reporting. This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and has been updated with additional details.
