Race may be reason for FATAL beating of Homeless Man

The fatal beating of a homeless man in Northeast El Paso last week was an "unprovoked attack" possibly motivated by race, court records and police said. Timothy Roud's death on Feb. 15 is part of a nationwide upswing in violence aimed at the homeless in recent years, advocates said. "It's definitely something going on in this country. Homeless people, undocumented workers and American Muslims are three groups stigmatized in this country," said Michael Stoops of the National Coalition for the Homeless, based in Washington, D.C. Before 4 a.m. Feb. 10, Roud, 51, was walking in the parking lot of the former Golden Corral restaurant at Dyer and Hondo Pass when he was allegedly assaulted by Terrance Ferrar, 26, and Christopher Buchanan, 34, according to complaint affidavits obtained by the El Paso Times. Both men are now in custody. Detectives are trying to determine whether the case is a hate crime. "There is a possibility that it was race-motivated," said police spokesman Javier Sambrano. Roud was Anglo. His alleged attackers are black. Roud, who was reportedly in poor health and under the influence of alcohol, was unable to defend himself against two men who punched him until he fell, affidavits stated. The attackers continued to kick and stomp on his back and head until he was unconscious. "During the assault, (Roud) is reported to have just tried to crawl away from the beating," affidavits stated. Roud died of head injuries. The Veterans Administration said Roud was a veteran cared for at Beaumont Army Medical Center. [more]