The New York Police Department is currently investigating the death of an 86-year-old patient in a Brooklyn hospital who was reportedly hit by another woman for violating the social distancing guidelines, in what might be the first coronavirus-related homicide in the city.
The victim identified as Janie Marshall, died a few hours after the altercation with Cassandra Lundy,32, at the Bedford-Stuyvesant's Woodhull Hospital, according to the police.
Marshall was a patient in the hospital for a bowel obstruction while Lundy was a seizure patient. According to the sources, Marshall innocently grabbed a metal stand in the hallway near the bed Lundy was occupying around 2:00 in the afternoon.
However, the victim's innocent action did not go well with Lundy who suddenly lashed out and complained that Marshall breached the social distancing protocols. Reports also say that Lundy slugged Marshall in the head which caused her to fall on the ground.
There was no witness who came forward about the confrontation but some of it was caught on video. According to sources, Lundy was issued by the hospital police with a disorderly conduct summons after the attack but proceeded to release her.
The elderly victim, who was a co-creator of the Sunshine Community Garden near her residence at McKibbin St. and Graham Ave, died around 5:40 in the afternoon on the day of the attack.
Dealice Fuller, chairman of Brooklyn's Community Board 1 expressed her sadness about the incident and said that she wanted the world to know that Marshall has contributed something to the community.
Attacker has been charged with assault before
Prosecutors and authorities are still waiting for the result of Marshall's autopsy in order to confirm her cause of death. Further saying that if proven that the cause of death was the attack that happened a few hours of death, the attacker, Lundy could face upgraded charges.
Before Saturday's incident, Lundy, a resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant already had 17 prior arrests with charges includingn trespassing, drug possession and a history of assault and strangulation.
Hospital waited hours before reporting incident
However, it remains a mystery why the hospital waited for hours before calling 911 and reporting the assault. When the NYPd arrived at the hospital around 10:31 PM, Marshall has already been dead for hours.
In a statement of the organization which runs the hospital, NYC Health, and Hospitals, they said that the incident saddens them and said that they are committed to ensuring a health-focused place where people seeking their services would feel safe. They also said that they are already collaborating with the NYPD about the investigation. Their statement, however, did not state the reason why it took them too long before reporting the incident.
If proven that Marshall indeed died due to the assault, the incident would be the first homicide that is related to the coronavirus outbreak in the Big Apple. At the moment, New York City has the highest number of cases in the country with more than 33,768 cases and 776 deaths caused by COVID-19.
