Detectives are now investigating the death of a 36-year-old man who was fatally assaulted during a street fight in the West Village early Saturday morning as a homicide.
Law enforcement sources said the deadly encounter took place at about 4:20 a.m. on Aug. 15 in front of an apartment building and Hudson Bagel store on Christopher Street between 7th Avenue South and Bleecker Street.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police sources determined that the attacker punched the victim — Dashawn Bush, 36, of Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn — and dropped him to the concrete. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
After Bush fell, police reported, the assailant kicked the victim about the body, and may have done something to obstruct his neck and windpipe.
Detectives believe the assault caused Bush to go into cardiac arrest, police sources stated.
Following the attack, authorities said, the assailant took off on foot eastbound along Christopher Street.
Officers from the 6th Precinct and EMS units responded to a 911 call about the assault and found the victim unconscious and unresponsive on the ground.
Paramedics rushed Bush to Lenox Health Complex, where he was pronounced dead. The Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine exactly how he died, police said.
Meanwhile, detectives are still looking for the assailant — described as a Black man with green dreadlocks who wore a black shirt, black shorts and red sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding the assault or the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
This story was updated on Aug. 16 at 9:10 a.m.
