Man charged with manslaughter after punch kills 64-year-old in Sonoma
Manslaughter charge in punching death of man, 65, in Sonoma
A man was charged by prosecutors with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly punching a man, 65, at Sonoma Plaza, knocking him to the ground. The victim died nearly a week later.
SONOMA, Calif. - A 64-year-old man attacked in the heart of downtown Sonoma last week has died from his injuries.
Sonoma attack captured on video
What we know:
The assault occurred on Monday, Sept. 7, near the Italian Fountain within the Sonoma Plaza. The incident was captured on cell phone video taken by one of four men who surrounded the victim, identified as John Francis Avila, 64.
Sonoma police authenticated the video, which was posted on a Facebook page. The footage shows both sides trading insults and using racial slurs before Avila was knocked to the ground and rendered unconscious near the fountain. Avila died on Sunday, six days after the attack.
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1 man charged
Dig deeper:
Sonoma police initially arrested four men on suspicion of murder. However, Sonoma County prosecutors charged only one man, 28-year-old Anthony Kirk, with battery and involuntary manslaughter, both felonies. Kirk was arraigned on the charges, granted pre-trial release, and is scheduled to return to court next month.
Sonoma Police Chief Brandon Cutting said that the attack was an isolated incident.
"I don't have any fear or ongoing safety for the community based on this incident," said Cutting. "This incident was contained to the fountain area. There's no gang relationship or anything like that."
KTVU legal analyst Michael Cardoza said that while the defendant, who is Black, likely reacted to the use of the n-word, he should have understood the lethal risk of striking the victim.
"You knock someone down, they fall over, their head hits the sidewalk, subdural hematoma could follow, and the person could die," Cardoza said.
The violence came as a shock to tourists visiting Sonoma, a popular destination.
"My wife and I were here the other night too. Out here about 9 p.m. and still talking about how beautiful everything was in Sonoma," said Barisone.
The Source: The information in this story came from KTVU reporter Henry Lee, who interviewed Sonoma Police Chief Brandon Cutting and spoke with legal analyst Michael Cardoza about the dangers of such attacks and the subsequent injuries.