Charges: Faribault man fatally punched veteran in road rage incident
Murder charges have been filed against a Faribault man accused of fatally assaulting a Vietnam War veteran during an alleged road rage incident in late June.
Larry Myers, 79, of Faribault, was taken off of life support on July 6, nine days after he was assaulted following an incident on Cannon City Boulevard near 154th Street East in Dundas.
Leslie Shawn Sanders, 52, also of Faribault, is accused of punching Myers repeatedly shortly after their vehicles collided as Sanders carried out an overtake maneuver.
According to the criminal complaint, the incident was reported on June 27 at about 11:08 a.m., with officers arriving at the scene to find people standing in the median on Highway 3 in Rice County.
A man, later identified as Sanders, was seen "standing in front of a white vehicle yelling at witnesses." Several of them told authorities that Sanders got out of his truck while his truck was still rolling, approached the driver's side of a white Chevy Equinox and "started punching" Myers "numerous times in the face."
Myers was able to tell police he was driving on Cannon City Boulevard when Sanders tried to pass his vehicle. Sanders then pulled back into the single lane, hitting Myers' SUV in the process.
When they approached Highway 3, Myers said Sanders jumped out of his vehicle, ran up, and started punching him. Multiple witnesses confirmed to police what happened and added that Myers never punched Sanders.
According to the complaint, medical records showed Myers suffered "fractures below both eyes, a fractured nose, lacerations in his mouth and to the forehead, and tears on his skin on the right side of his face and left arm and hand."
Later that night, the victim's daughter told police that her father was at Hennepin County Medical Center and "was not conscious and on a breathing tube." She also stated that doctors believed her father may have a brain bleed on top of his other injuries.
According to the complaint, due to the unlikely outcome that Myers would recover from his injuries and his end of life instructions, Myers was removed from life support on July 6.
According to Myers' obituary, he was a Jackson, Mississippi native who served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.
Sanders has been charged with one count of second-degree murder without intent after he was originally charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm. He is also charged with one count of third-degree assault.
Sanders is scheduled to appear in court next on July 27.
