83-Year-Old Home Depot Worker Dies After Shoplifter Shoves Him To The Ground

An 83-year-old North Carolina Home Depot worker died Thursday — weeks after being tossed to the ground while attempting to stop a shoplifter in October.

In surveillance footage of the incident released by police, Gary Rasor can be seen coming forward to confront a man wheeling three Ryobi pressure washers out of the Home Depot in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on Oct. 18.

Gary was shoved to the ground by the man, who then casually walked away while pushing a cart of stolen pressure washers, police said.

The surveillance footage captured the moment Gary fell and hit the concrete floor.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he spent a few days and even celebrated his 83rd birthday, WNCN reported.

"They said they were going to send him to rehab to heal," Yovone Rasor, the victim's wife, told the outlet.

Yovone never gave up hope that her husband would recover. She said they even bought plane tickets to visit their family during the holidays. However, according to Yovone, her husband continued to suffer from multiple fractures and never walked again.

Gary was rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) the day before Thanksgiving. He died Thursday "due to complications from the injuries received," Hillsborough cops officially announced the following day.

The North Carolina medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, police said, and the search continues for the suspect authorities branded a "menace to society."

Police told WNCN the larceny is now being investigated as a possible homicide.

Authorities are encouraging the public to help in identifying the suspect. The suspect was described as 6-foot-tall and was wearing a black mask and black Calvin Klein hoodie. He fled in a white Hyundai Sonata with a hidden temporary North Carolina tag.

"It's just beyond our comprehension that someone would do this for a couple of power washers," Gary's son Jeff Rasor told WNCN. "That is just mind-boggling."

Yovone told the outlet that Gary remained "upbeat" in the hospital — until he saw footage of the attack.

"He lost it ... he just lost it," she said.

"It's just hard, and I know it sounds silly, but I'm still waiting for him to come back home," she said Saturday. "I can't get him back ... that's it."