ANTIOCH — A fight between a customer and employees of an outdoor phone vendor stand resulted in the death of the customer Saturday, police said.
Read more Man fatally shot in West Oakland
Authorities identified the dead man as 59-year-old Paul Lawson.
Police continue to investigate the death but have not made any arrests. They are calling it an assault resulting in a death and have not dubbed it a homicide investigation. Investigators are trying to determine whether somebody pushed Lawson or whether he tripped and fell on his own, Sgt. Joseph Chandler said in a statement.
Officers responded about 2:40 p.m. to the June 9 fight at the Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services building at 4545 Delta Fair Blvd. Lawson died at a hospital four days later while receiving care.
Read more East Bay hotel is bought at price discount, reflecting market frailty
According to Chandler, Lawson got into an argument and then a physical fight with employees of the vendor stand. During the conflict, Lawson fell to the ground and complained afterward that he could not move. An ambulance took him to an undisclosed hospital, where he died.
Officers spoke with witnesses and received more than one witness statement about the conflict. Chandler said those accounts vary. Some witnesses indicated Lawson simply fell over a chair but other said he had been pushed, Chandler said.
Det. Ryan Duff continues to investigate the incident, and police urged anyone with information to contact him at [email protected].
Read more With heat wave over, focus turns to big Bay Area waves
About the Author
