GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — An 84-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease who served in World War II died at a West Michigan veterans' facility after being attacked by another patient, authorities said.
Andrew Robinson Ball died Tuesday at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, police said. Investigators said he was assaulted Saturday, taken to a hospital and then was brought back to the veterans' facility. He died in bed and an autopsy said the cause was medical complications due to blunt force trauma.
The death is being investigated as a homicide, police said in a statement. No charges have been filed. The other patient, who also has Alzheimer's disease, remains at the facility.
Ball's stepdaughter Deborah Keyworth told The Grand Rapids Press that she was told by authorities that her father was attacked after walking into the wrong room. She said Bell, whose 87-year-old wife Elaine has dementia and also lives at the veterans' home, didn't do anything to provoke the attack.
"When you looked at him, you knew he was beaten," Keyworth said. "He couldn't move his jaw or swallow."
Keyworth said staff at the veteran's home called her at 5 a.m. Saturday to get permission to take Ball to the hospital.
"From the conversation, I did not realize the extent of his injuries," she said.
The Bells moved to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans about a year ago after living in the East Lansing area for most of their lives, the newspaper reported.
Capt. Aaron Jenkins, public affairs officer for the state Department of Military and Veteran's Affairs, said the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans has a good safety record and he doesn't believe supervision was a factor in the attack. Jenkins said he couldn't discuss details because of the ongoing investigation and federal medical privacy regulations, but cautioned against speculation until all relevant information is disclosed.
He said in a statement Friday that the department was saddened by Ball's death.
Michigan
WWII vet dies after attack at veterans' facility
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