80-Yr-Old Man Who Was Brutally Assaulted By 22-Yr-Old In A Supermarket Restroom, Dies

An 80-year-old man who was brutally beaten up inside a grocery store bathroom last month has died, the family has said. Roberto Flores Lopez, a grandfather to 17, passed away on Wednesday morning after spending several days in intensive care as a "result of severe injuries" he sustained on July 8 at a Superior Market in Lancaster, California, reports ABC7.  The family is distraught by the loss of their patriarch.   KTLA report quotes Cecilia Ramirez, Lopez's daughter as saying in a press conference: "My dad didn't deserve this. My dad was a good man doing what everybody does every day. My dad was a giving, kind-hearted man and would never hurt anybody."

According to People, Lopez suffered several injuries due to the attack, including a broken eye socket, five broken ribs, and facial fractures, as described in a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to pay for his medical bills. The senior citizen was reportedly in the hospital for over two weeks before being released in late July. Lopez's death is a double blow for the family who are already dealing with another family member's death due to COVID-19. "My mom is struggling with the death of her son, our brother. We just made arrangements for my brother to be buried next Tuesday. And now we’re going to go back and make arrangements for my father," Ramirez said. Meanwhile, Lancaster Police arrested suspects Damaris Wade, 22, and Tamika White, 33, on July 11 with the former charged with one felony count each of attempted murder, elder abuse with the infliction of injury, and one count of second-degree robbery, Los Angeles County District Attorney's office announced on July 15.

Prior to this incident, Wade already has a robbery conviction to his name from 2016, the prosecutors told the court. If and when convicted of all the charges filed against him, Wade will face a potential maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. White, on the other hand, was initially charged with one felony count of accessory to a crime but as per online court records, charges against her have now been dropped.

Francisco Lopez, the victim's son said he wants justice for his father and that the assailant should be convicted for manslaughter. Struggling to hold back tears, he said:  "This case went from just a robbery and an assault to murder. … We want this whole entire thing, for the guy that did this to my dad — for him to get it for manslaughter, and to get charges for manslaughter and murder, because my dad’s dead. He killed my dad." 

Miguel S Coronado, a spokesperson for the family, said on Wednesday that they are seeking upgraded charges against Wade."We condemn this violence," Coronado said. "This will not be tolerated. We’re angry. We’re hurt. We’re upset. And we’re calling on anybody that is doing this against our people, or any people for that matter, that you will be caught. And you’ll be prosecuted. And we will support the LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to make sure that you are brought to justice if you are hurting any human being and you leave them for dead."

The GoFundMe page created in honor of Lopez has received over $66,000 in donations from over 2.3k donors. The family later gave an update on his death and adding a touching note for all the donors and wrote: "From the bottom of our hearts we thank everyone who has donated. I know they are both in heaven smiling down knowing that justice will be served. Rest In Peace Roberto Flores Lopez and Jose Antonio Gomez."