Two strangers, a deadly shove, and a Ghostbusters cameraman steps in
A 72-year-old woman was walking near her home in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood Wednesday morning when she made glancing contact with a stranger, according to witnesses.
A day later, the woman died at Tufts Medical Center after suffering a skull fracture and brain swelling in the altercation that ensued, The Boston Globe reported.
Prosecutors say the stranger, 24-year-old Tajanetta Downing, is responsible. They say she shoved Yuzhen Lei to the ground, causing her head to hit the pavement. They have charged Downing with aggravated assault and battery and assault and battery on a person 60 or older, The Globe reported.
Downing told police a different story. She said Lei made the first move.
“She pushed me and I pushed her back and I kept it going,’’ she said, according to a police report.
Those who saw the scene play out, including a cameraman working on the Ghostbusters set nearby, helped investigators track down Downing. They told police she shoved Lei and then fled the scene.
With the new charges, Downing, of Jamaica Plain, violated the terms of two past arrests, including one where she assaulted a man on the street and the police officer who responded, according to The Globe. Now, she’ll be held until her August 5 court date.
Read the full Globe report here.
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