A New Jersey teen accused of fatally punching a man outside of a Walgreens has been charged in connection with his death.
Officers with the Mount Ephraim Police Department responded to the parking lot of the store, located on West Kings Highway, on March 23 just before 11 p.m., NBC Philadelphia reported. When they arrived on the scene, they found 46-year-old Oron Beebe on the ground and suffering from a serious head injury.
Beebe, who also went by by Carl and the nickname “Snook,” was rushed to to Cooper University Hospital. He remained there for eight days, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on Sunday, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Amid their investigation, authorities learned Beebe was punched in the head, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head a second time.
Just days after the deadly incident, authorities arrested a 16-year-old from Collingswood. The teen, who was initially charged with assault, has not been identified. The charges against him have since been upgraded to include second-degree manslaughter in light of Beebe’s death, prosecutors said.
He was being held at the Camden County Youth Detention Center.
While authorities have not provided a motive, a GoFundMe set up for Beebe said he was attacked by a “random teenager” intent on carrying out “a senseless act of violence.”
The victim, a husband and father of two, was a UPS driver and beloved hockey coach, according to the fundraiser.
The owner of Ray’s Tavern, located just across the parking lot from Walgreens, said Beebe and his wife enjoyed dinner at his restaurant the same night of the fatal punch. He told Fox 29 the 16-year-old was also present, watching the NCAA Wrestling Championship with his parents and other high school wrestling families and coaches.
The restaurant owner added that they were at the bar however, and the two groups did not appear to cross paths. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
