Warning: Distressing Content
An elderly man has died after being pushed off a bus by a woman he’d asked to be nicer to other passengers.
Serge Fournier, 74, had been travelling on a public transit bus in Las Vegas when he witnessed a woman yelling profanities at other passengers.
Upon asking her to be nicer to people, Fournier attempted to leave the bus using his walker. However, police say the woman then pushed the elderly man forcefully with both hands, resulting in him falling to the pavement below.
As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the 74-year-old hit his head on the concrete pavement on March 21 and tragically passed away one month later on April 23.
The Clark County coroner’s office determined Fournier had died from complications of blunt force torso injuries and his death was ruled a homicide.
Cadesha Bishop, 25, was arrested on Monday (May 13) by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMPD) officers after a warrant was issued for her arrest.
According to Bishop’s arrest report, witnesses saw her walking away from the bus after the incident without offering Fournier help, grabbing her son’s hand and leading him away.
Officers were called to the scene on Fremont Street just before 5pm on March 21 after reports of a man being assaulted. Fournier, who was bleeding from his head, managed to tell police that a woman was swearing at other bus passengers when he was leaving the bus.
After asking her to be nicer to her fellow passengers, the arrest report said Bishop pushed the man ‘with enough force that he never touched any of the steps’ on the bus.
The report continued:
His head landed approximately eight feet from the bus doorway.
As reported by KSNV, Fournier spent a month in the hospital before he passed away. He was found dead on April 23 by a hospice care worker, the report said.
On Friday (May 10), detectives spoke with Bishop’s son’s father, and the man said the boy is no longer with her because ‘she is too violent’. Later that day, Bishop called school police and agreed to go to LVMPD headquarters for an interview, but she never showed up.
Officers later identified Bishop through surveillance footage and the 25-year-old was arrested earlier this week. Police have since released the disturbing footage to the public.
Warning: Distressing Content
Bishop remained in the detention center on Wednesday with a $100,000 bail, jail records show. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 21.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).