A North Carolina man, aged 24, is currently facing charges of second-degree murder following an incident where he allegedly pushed a 73-year-old pedestrian. The older man, who had lightly tapped on the hood of the younger man’s car, fell and sustained a fatal head injury. The accused, Tyler Coenraads, voluntarily surrendered to the Ashville Police Department earlier this week and is currently being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility without the possibility of bail.
The incident took place on February 29. The victim, identified as Gregory William Martin, was crossing Haywood Road near Craven Street when he tapped on the hood of a car that was stopped at a traffic light. The Ashville police released a video of the incident to local media outlets, which showed the sequence of events leading up to the fatal encounter.
The video shows Martin walking past the vehicle, which was preparing to make a right turn, and patting the hood. After passing the car, Martin appears to exchange words with the driver before continuing on his way. Coenraads, who was a passenger in the car, is seen exiting the vehicle, running up to Martin, and allegedly pushing him from behind. Martin falls and hits his head, while Coenraads quickly returns to the vehicle, which then speeds away from the scene.
Martin suffered severe head trauma from the fall and was immediately rushed to the hospital by paramedics. The police identified Coenraads as the man in the video and arrested him on March 8, initially charging him with assault and inflicting serious bodily injury.
However, following Martin’s death on March 12, the charges against Coenraads were elevated to murder. This decision was made after further investigation, which included findings from the State Medical Examiner’s Office and consultation with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office. Coenraads is scheduled to appear in court next on April 24.