TAMPA, Fla. — A customer at a Tampa Dunkin' died after an employee punched him in the face for using a racial slur, according to police.
That employee is now charged with manslaughter, the state attorney's office said.
It all started on May 4 when the 77-year-old man in the drive-thru of a Dunkin' Donuts became "upset due to the lack of service he was receiving," according to Tampa police.
After being told several times to move on and leave, the man parked his car and walked into the store. The on-duty manager, Corey Pujols told one of his coworkers to call police, the state attorney's office said.
Once inside, the 77-year-old man walked up to the counter and argued with Pujols, who remained on the opposite side of the counter about six feet away from the man, according to the state attorney's office.
During the argument, police say the man called Pujols a racial slur. The state attorney's office says Pujols slowly walked through the counter's swinging door and came face-to-face with the man, "hands at his side," warning him not to say the slur again.
The man repeated the slur and Pujols "immediately punched him in the jaw," which caused the man to fall and hit his head, according to the state attorney's office. Pujols then slowly walked away.
Tampa Fire Rescue responded, and the customer was taken to the hospital where he later died on May 7, police say.
The state attorney's office says the manslaughter charge is appropriate "because Pujols intentionally punched the victim without legal justification, and the victim died as a result."
The state attorney's office also added that while the man's racial slur was "highly inflammatory," the speech alone doesn't "justify violence."
"Although the victim’s speech was reprehensible, it was legal," the state attorney's office said in a statement. "While we find the victim’s words repulsive, public safety requires holding Pujols accountable for his actions. As in any case, we will consider the victim’s incendiary conduct and other mitigating evidence, as well as any evidentiary and legal issues, in determining the appropriate outcome."
"Racism and the use of racial slurs have no place in our community," the statement continued. "Our office will continue to work with stakeholders all across Tampa Bay to combat bigotry and prejudice."
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