'It's Your Day To Die': Man Claims Assailants Hurled Homophobic Slurs Before Beating Him
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Police are investigating an assault on South Beach after a man reported two other men hurled homophobic insults before beating him.
Ken Wilcox said it happened in broad daylight while walking his dog. He was passing Flamingo Park on Meridian Avenue at 14th Place when two men began yelling gay slurs.
"The first comment was, again, '[Expletive], [slur], another one of you, [slur].' The next part, right before they started striking me, basically, that 'we're here to kill all [slur] and it's your day to die,'" Wilcox recalled.
Seconds later, he said, one man grabbed his arms from behind while the other began beating him.
"My deepest injury and laceration is here and that goes all the way to my skull," he said pointing to the area near his eye. "I have three cracked ribs on this side, on the side. And I have one cracked rib on the front of this side."
Wilcox shared pictures from shortly after the attack. Aside from the visible cuts and bruises, he said he also suffered internal bleeding.
Police are on the hunt for clues.
"Our detectives are out actively canvassing now, looking for video or witnesses who may have seen what transpired to shed more light on this case," said Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez.
Wilcox said what bothers him most came after the attack.
He said for several hours he lay in a bloody heap, partially unconscious, on the sidewalk on busy Meridian Avenue with his dog by his side – and people just passed him by.
"It's very disheartening," he said. "I find it more disturbing that we live in South Beach, a town, not a city, and people still aren't willing to stop and help."
An attack like this one is quite concerning and surprising in Miami Beach. For that reason, police are having a public meeting to discuss it. It will be on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the department's headquarters.
If you have any information that can help police with this investigation, please contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.