ST PAUL, Minn. — Two months after the death of a St. Paul man, police announced a 17-year-old has now been charged with his killing.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner ruled 76-year-old Thomas Dunne's February death a homicide, prompting county prosecutors to charge the teen with first-degree manslaughter.
While the teen has officially been charged, KARE 11 typically does not identify minors accused of crimes.
The juvenile petition filed in Ramsey County accuses the teen of causing Dunne's death, claiming Dunne died from complications due to injuries suffered after allegedly being attacked by the teen. Prosecutors said the alleged assault happened on Jan. 28. just before 5 p.m. at Harriet Island Park in St. Paul.
The petition said officers arrived at the park to find Dunne with an apparent injury to his right eye socket. As he was treated, Dunne told police he was at the park when he noticed a man urinating in public. He told them he took out his phone to take a photo of the man before two other men appeared and the three of them started coming toward Dunne.
According to prosecutors, Dunne said that's when the men punched him in the face. A separate witness corroborated Dunne's story, saying she was also at the park and noticed the man urinating in a pond. She said she then saw the men walk toward Dunne, slapping his phone out of his hand and punching him at least twice in the face. The petition said she told investigators she yelled at the men as they walked away from the scene, eastbound.
Investigators said they quickly located three men walking east along the river and stopped them to ask if they'd been involved in a fight. Officials said one of the men, later identified as the suspect, admitted to confronting and fighting Dunne because the suspect believed Dunne had been recording them.
The man accused of urinating in the pond was also questioned about his involvement in the fight, allegedly telling authorities he couldn't find a public restroom. He went on to tell investigators that the suspect initiated the argument with Dunne over the assumption he was filming the group.
Dunne was taken to the hospital following the argument, where he underwent emergency ocular surgery and was treated for multiple facial fractures. The petition said Dunne's right eye was ruptured, telling hospital staff he did not have light or shape perception in that eye. Doctors told investigators Dunne's eye injury was "very severe," and it would be months before they'd know if it would improve, according to prosecutors.
The next day, Jan. 29., Dunne was reportedly released from the hospital with instructions for follow-up care but returned on Feb. 3 due to complications from his previous injuries.
The petition said medical records showed Dunne had contracted an infection, ultimately leading to his death on Feb. 23.
Prosecutors said the medical examiner ruled Dunne's death a homicide, citing probable complications of assault as the cause.
Following the ME's autopsy results, prosecutors upgraded the suspect's initial first-degree assault charges to first-degree manslaughter.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: