Brooklyn Grandfather Beaten Into Coma On His Way To Work, Dies In Hospital

A 58-year-old New York City man who was beaten into a coma on his way to his construction job has died, police and family members said Monday.

Officers with the New York Police Department's (NYPD) 73rd Precinct found Moses James, 58, lying on the ground at the corner of Belmont Avenue and Watkins Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn, around 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, local newspaper amNY reported.

Police said James had trauma to the back of his head and determined that the victim had been pummeled near his home by a group of people that fled.

James was taken to Brookdale University Hospital in critical condition, a report by the New York Daily News said. He died Friday.

Police have opened a homicide investigation into the death, as per amNY. The case was reclassified after the medical examiner's office determined that James died of the injuries he sustained in the assault.

The NYPD has no information yet regarding the events that led up to the assault. Additionally, police have no description of the suspect or group involved.

Felicia James, one of Moses' two sisters, suggested that her brother may have been a robbery victim.

"He was working on some construction for housing. Maybe they [were] trying to rob him or something," Felicia was quoted as saying by the New York Daily News. "I don't know what he had on him that morning."

Another sister, Melvina Haynes, noted that Moses suffered injuries to his head, face and all over his body.

"How could a human being have that much anger to do that [to] someone, and then walk around? That means that you don't have a conscience," Haynes said.

"I think that they deserve to be punished for the crimes that they committed. My brother didn't deserve to lay out in the street like a dog left to die," Felicia said.

Police have made no arrests thus far in connection with the incident.

Haynes described her brother as "kind, loving [and] very family-oriented."

"He would crack little jokes, and he was very intelligent... He just really enjoyed family, and he loved his grandchildren and his nieces and nephews," Haynes recalled.

"It's hard on all of us," Felicia said of James' death.

Police encourage anyone with information regarding the murder to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.