A California grandfather has died after he was allegedly beaten for asking people in a Starbucks parking lot to turn down their music.
Robert Ketner, 69, suffered serious injuries after being allegedly attacked by River Baumann on Sunday, October 18. Initially, the 20-year-old accused was taken into custody after the alleged attack but was later granted bail.
At the time of the incident, Rocklin County Police charged Baumann with battery resulting in serious bodily injury. Following the victim being taken off life support on Wednesday, charges were upgraded to that voluntary manslaughter.
Rocklin Police said Baumann was in a truck at the Starbucks as the great-grandfather was seated on the outdoor patio when the pair first got into a verbal argument that quickly escalated.
“It was like really loud music. The victim was punched and he fell to the ground sustaining an injury to his head and he never regained consciousness,” Rocklin Detective Zack Lewis said.
According to the victim’s family, Ketner had been trying to tell Baumann to turn his loud music down.
“He was kind of sitting outside, drinking his latte when the vehicle of some sort came by,” the unidentified family member told via KTXL. “It was like really loud music; people were complaining about it. So, he pointed out, like, which car it was and asked them to turn their music down.”
Police said the argument turned physical. When officers arrived, they found Ketner, 69, unconscious. He was taken to a nearby hospital but never woke up.
Meanwhile, an obituary written for the senior citizen stated that Ketner, who graduated from Blairsville High School, “enjoyed being a grandfather & great-grandfather.”
The obituary also referred to him as an “avid motorcycle rider” and the one who “loved telling funny stories & hanging around with friends.”
“He is survived by his wife Nancy Schwab-Ketner, brother William S Ketner, Jr, sister Sandra K (Ketner) Bloom, son Wm Scott Sullivan, daughter Tracy (Sullivan) Wofford, step-son Anthony Capizzi, 8 grandchildren, & 3 great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life is being planned. Memorial contributions may be made to The National Motorcycle Safety Fund,” the eulogy added.
Baumann has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and his bail has been set at $250,000.
Watch the video report below for more details: