69-year-old Robert Ketner was killed after confronting a 20-year-old man and asking him to turn down his music.
- The fatal fight occurred at a Starbucks parking lot in Rocklin, California.
- The 20-year-old suspect has been identified as River Baumann and he is now facing voluntary manslaughter charges.
- Rocklin Police Cpl. Zack Lewis: “Whatever the argument was, no one deserves to lose their life.”
Robert Ketner, a grandfather and recent retiree, passed away last week.
His tragic death was a result of a fight which occurred between him and 20-year-old suspect, River Baumann. Ketner was enjoying a cup of coffee at a Starbucks in Rocklin, California when he heard loud music coming from a vehicle in the parking lot. Seeing that the music was irritating multiple people, Ketner had pointed out which vehicle the sound was coming from and he then asked that they turn the music down. A verbal argument had escalated and turned aggressive when 20-year-old Baumann had assaulted Ketner.
Police identified Baumann and he initially faced battery and other charges.
Ketner had been taken to the hospital and Baumann was held, facing battery and other charges. The 20-year-old was then later released on bail but was re-arrested when three days after the fight, Ketner had died in the hospital. According to FOX 13, the man is now facing voluntary manslaughter charges. In addition to this, the Starbucks store in Rocklin temporarily closed on Thursday after staff discovered that Ketner had died. Rocklin police Detective Zack Lewis spoke to Sacramento’s KOVR-TV and said:
The victim was punched and he fell to the ground sustaining an injury to his head and he never regained consciousness.
The suspect has not been officially identified.
The police has managed to identify the 20-year-old thanks to a rose tattoo and several other descriptions. CBS 13 reported that Detective Lewis claimed Baumann “was identified by other means, not just his tattoo so, there’s people that knew his name”. Furthermore, the Placer County Coroner has not yet officially identified the victim.
The suspect is being held on $250,000 bail.
