Teen now facing manslaughter charge for punch that led to veteran’s death in St. Paul

Charges against a teenager who allegedly punched a Vietnam veteran in St. Paul have been upgraded after the man died.

St. Paul Police announced the update on Thursday after 76-year-old Thomas Dunne’s death was ruled a homicide.

The incident happened at Harriet Island Regional Park just before 5 p.m. on Jan. 28, St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS earlier this year. There, Dunne’s wife said her husband had been punched in the face and Dunne was bleeding from his right eye in a manner police deemed as serious.

He was hospitalized but died the next month. Court documents note Dunne was briefly discharged from the hospital but was readmitted a few days later due to complications from his injury and deteriorated from there. He suffered multiple facial fractures and doctors expected him to permanently lose most of his vision in the eye.

Before his death, police say Dunne told officers that he and his wife had just finished walking around Harriet Island and were headed back to their vehicle when he saw someone urinating on the sidewalk. Dunne said he tried to take a picture of the person but two others then came up to him, upset that he was trying to take a picture, and one of them punched him, knocking Dunne to the ground.

Officers found three teenage boys nearby and arrested a 17-year-old, who was later charged with first-degree assault. However, at that time, the medical examiner hadn’t yet determined Dunne’s cause of death.

Now that his death has been ruled a homicide, prosecutors upgraded the charges against the teen — now 18 — to first-degree manslaughter. Court documents also note prosecutors intend to try to have his case moved from juvenile to adult court.

A juvenile petition notes one of the other teens told police that Dunne should’ve “minded his business.” The charged teen declined to provide any statement to police.