A 69-year-old man whose Escondido home is heavily decorated in American flags, military insignias and Trump memorabilia has died after he suffered serious injuries in an assault outside his house last week.
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Army veteran Kerry Sheron died Sunday night at Palomar Medical Center, Escondido police said Monday.
Thomas Caleb Butler, 32, of Escondido, wasarrested on suspicion of attempted murder, elder abuse, making criminal threats, and battery, and was being held without bail at the Vista jail. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office is now reviewing the case to determine if the charges will be amended.
Outside his home, on Buchanan Street near Mission Avenue, a handful of friends and neighbors gathered Monday alongside the road to wave the flag that Sheron so proudly displayed at his house. They held signs that informed people of his death, asked for prayers, and encouraged passersby to honk in support.
Along Sheron’s property line and interwoven in his front yard are large displays of flags, pro-Trump banners and items showcasing the individual branches of the U.S. military.
Jim Gillie, a longtime friend, said the flags and memorabilia had been up for years. Despite times where the materials were vandalized, Gillie said Sheron was quick to restore his displays.
Gillie described his friend as an ardent supporter of free speech who would regularly espouse the right that everyone is entitled to their opinion free from harm.
“Kerry was a Trump supporter, but he was a patriot first, and when people would come and spew anti-Trump stuff at him, he didn’t let it bother him,” Gillie said. “He’d just say, ‘They have a right to freedom of speech, and so do I.’”
Deputy District Attorney Ross Garcia told reporters Friday that Sheron suffered severe injuries during what was described as an unprovoked attack May 20.
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“It was a single punch to the jaw,” Garcia said. “The victim then falls to the floor, and there are subsequent hits to the victim’s head area.”
A bystander who attempted to intervene was also injured and taken to a hospital, police said.
Following the attack, Butler was arrested on East Mission Avenue and Begonia Street, a few blocks from where the attack happened.
Investigators on Monday had not commented on the cause of the attack.
Since last week, people have been coming out to show their support for a man they described as generous, friendly and fearless in his patriotism and democratic principles. During Monday’s Memorial Day display, drivers passing by honked their horns, leaned their heads out to shout or pulled over to ask about Sheron’s condition.
“Her veteran husband did not deserve this,” said Gina Gillie, a neighbor outside Sheron’s home Monday. “(Sheron and his wife) are patriotic. It might be over the top, but it’s because no one else will be.”
The display outside the home drew a diverse crowd who supported the idea that free speech should be protected. Yousef Miller, a member of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition, was out on Buchanan Street on Monday, talking with people who pulled over to ask what had happened to Sheron.
“I believe no one should be harmed for their politics,” Miller said. “I’m standing here with my brothers and sisters, even though we have different politics, to say the same thing: never harm one another, just disagree and move on.”
Investigators asked anyone with information about the attack to contact Escondido police at (760) 839-4722.
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City News Service contributed to this report.
