Baltimore Department of Transportation employee dies after assault downtown

An employee with Baltimore's Department of Transportation (DOT) died a month after he was assaulted, according to city officials. 

Gregory Turnipseed, 71, died on Nov. 26 after being injured during the incident on Oct. 17, according to police.

"Mr. Turnipseed was an exemplary public servant, a 14-year veteran of BCDOT working in the Traffic Division. He served Baltimore with dignity and integrity, and we will forever be grateful for his dedication to our city. We will continue wrapping our arms around his family and loved ones, holding them close in our hearts and prayers," Mayor Brandon Scott, Police Commissioner Richard Worley and DOT Director Veronica McBeth said in a joint statement Friday. 

Assault in Baltimore

Police responded to the Oct. 17 assault around 1 p.m. in the 400 block of St. Paul Street. 

Officers spoke with Turnipseed, who said he was walking when he saw a vehicle waiting for another to pull out of a parking space. Turnipseed told officers that he approached the parked vehicle and told the occupants that another car was waiting for them to leave. 

A verbal exchange ensued, and two people got out of the vehicle and assaulted Turnipseed, officers said. 

One of the suspects was a woman, and the other was a teen girl who appeared to be around 15 years old, according to police. Both of the suspects got back into the car and fled the scene. 

Turnipseed sought medical attention after the assault. According to police, his condition got worse, and he was admitted to a hospital on Oct. 20 before he died. 

Police arrested 49-year-old Kiannah Bonaparte on Nov. 19, and she was charged with assault. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 11. 

The investigation is ongoing, and charges will be amended, police said. 

Charging documents reveal details of assault

According to charging documents obtained by WJZ Investigates, Turnipseed told police the 15-year-old suspect "became irate, exited the vehicle, and began punching him in the face several times." 

Turnipseed said as he tried to stop the juvenile from attacking, the older woman "jumped on his back, causing him to fall to the ground. [She] then kicked him in the head multiple times, breaking his glasses, resulting in abrasions and swelling to his head..."

Turnipseed was later hospitalized at Shock Trauma with a brain bleed. 

"Mr. Turnipseed still suffers from memory loss, had to learn how to walk again with a walker and cannot stand for a long period of time anymore," police said in the charging documents. "Mr. Turnipseed has sustained permanent damage to his brain and body in reference to this incident."

His health continued to deteriorate until his death the day before Thanksgiving. 

Police said Turnipseed was able to pick his attacker out of a photo lineup.

The City Union of Baltimore released a statement, calling on the City of Baltimore to "conduct a thorough, transparent investigation" into Gregory's assault.

"For too long, we at the City Union of Baltimore have said no city employee should go to work with the fear of losing their life; simply put, that should never, ever happen. When is enough enough? The tragic passing of Gregory Turnipseed will only strengthen our resolve for change." 

Baltimore community reacts

Eden Schlessinger lives around the corner from where the attack unfolded. 

"That's heartbreaking. That would break anyone's heart. Anyone who has a heart," Schlessinger told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "That's so small to react like that, to have such a volatile reaction over something so minuscule."

Turnipseed's loved ones have expressed their grief and heartbreak in posts online.

Former Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young wrote that Turnipseed is a long-time friend.

"My prayers and condolences go out to his family," the former mayor posted.