82-year-old retired professor dies weeks after unprovoked attack in Oregon, cops say
An 82-year-old man has died after an unprovoked attack in Oregon, officials said.
Donald A. Pierce died at a hospital Thursday, July 7, the Portland Police Bureau said in a news release Tuesday, July 12. His autopsy determined his death was “homicide by blunt trauma.”
Pierce was a “well-known statistician and professor at Oregon State University for 30 years,” The Oregonian reported. Much of his work focused on the effects of radiation in the aftermath of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.
Pierce and another man, 88, were attacked in downtown Portland on June 25, police said. The men were attacked by a man without provocation and “repeatedly punched and kicked, including after they fell to the ground.”
Officers on a call in the area happened upon the assault and arrested 29-year-old Keffer J. White, police said.
The victims were taken to the hospital, according to police, and the 88-year-old has been released.
White was booked on assault charges, and “additional charges are pending,” police said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Jennifer Hertzler at Jennifer.hertzler@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-1040 and reference case number 22-169912.
This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 6:23 PM with the headline "82-year-old retired professor dies weeks after unprovoked attack in Oregon, cops say."
