The widow of a 77-year-old man who died after being assaulted at a Walmart in Norfolk, Virginia, said she held her injured husband in her arms as he slipped out of consciousness.
The victim was identified as Bert Atienza whose widow, Josephine Atienza, shared her experience with WTKR this week, the outlet reported Monday.
The incident happened on June 7 at the store on 1170 North Military Highway when the couple arrived to grocery shop after church.
Atienza said her husband argued with a 17-year-old employee after the young person nearly hit her with a shopping cart.
“He said, ‘You almost hit my wife with your heavy cart, and you did not even say excuse me or apologize to her,’” she recalled, adding the employee tossed a can at them but it did not hit anyone.
However, the incident did not end there and Atienza said the young person’s parents showed up to confront her husband. She said one of them punched him in the face and he fell on the floor.
Surveillance footage of the incident showed the couple shopping when someone in a dark colored shirt approached them and appeared to assault the victim while another person appeared to kick him once he fell down:
Atienza said other customers inside the store offered to help when they realized what had happened.
“My husband was still able to speak, he said, ‘Help me get up,’ but I told him, ‘No you’re bleeding. Your mouth is bleeding. Ambulance is coming.’ I look at him again. He has no more consciousness,” she explained.
Her husband died from his injuries the following day.
“I lost a husband of 42 years, and my son lost a father. As each day passes by, I feel the pain of loneliness about being by myself now. There is an anger and bitterness in me. If only I could turn back time,” Atienza told WTKR.
Images show the victim with his wife and the two adult suspects in the case:
The Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide.
The adult suspects in the case were identified as 42-year-old Erika Mitchell and 44-year-old Travis White who are being held without bond and were charged with second-degree murder. The teenager involved in the case is facing charges of assault and battery, aggravated malicious wounding, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The young person no longer works for Walmart and the company said it is working with police.
According to the Filipino Reporters, the victim and his widow were from the Philippines and had planned to return there when they retired.
