Longtime Baltimore DOT Worker Dies Weeks After Downtown Beating Over Parking Spot

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

A longtime Baltimore city transportation worker has died from injuries he suffered during a downtown assault last month.

Gregory Turnipseed, 71, a 14-year veteran of the city’s Department of Transportation, was attacked on Friday, Oct. 17, while trying to assist two drivers involved in a parking dispute near Mercy Medical Center, according to police.

Turnipseed told officers he saw a car waiting for an SUV to pull out of a parking space on St. Paul Place and East Mulberry Street, and approached the occupants to let them know another driver was waiting. A verbal exchange followed, and a woman and teenage girl got out and assaulted him before driving off, police said.

Charging documents obtained by CBS Baltimore allege the teen, believed to be around 15, “became irate” and repeatedly punched Turnipseed in the face. As he tried to defend himself, the woman allegedly “jumped on his back,” causing him to fall, then kicked him in the head several times, breaking his glasses and leaving him with cuts and swelling.

Turnipseed’s condition worsened over several days, and he was admitted to Shock Trauma with a brain bleed on Monday, Oc. 20, according to police. He died on Wednesday, Nov. 26, city leaders confirmed.

Before his death, Turnipseed was able to identify his alleged attacker in a photo lineup. Investigators have since arrested Kiannah Bonaparte, 49, and charged her with first- and second-degree assault. Additional charges are expected.

It was not immediately clear whether the teenage suspect had been arrested.

City leaders called Turnipseed “an exemplary public servant” and 14-year veteran of BCDOT working in the Traffic Division.

“He served Baltimore with dignity and integrity, and we will forever be grateful for his dedication to our city," Mayor Brandon Scott, State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Police Commissioner Richard Worley, and DOT Director Veronica McBeth said in a joint statement.

“We will continue wrapping our arms around his family and loved ones, holding them close in our hearts and prayers."

Funeral arrangements for Turnipseed had not been announced as of Saturday, Nov. 29.