A Brooklyn grandmother was beaten in her own yard after confronting a dog walker, as a string of violent incidents involving elderly victims surfaced across multiple states this week.
A 75-year-old woman was knocked to the ground and repeatedly struck outside her Crown Heights home after asking a passerby to clean up after a dog, according to video and witness accounts. The attack only stopped when a nearby resident stepped in.
Ring camera footage captured Linda Scott being punched in the face and kicked while standing near her property. The blows continued even after she fell, with the attacker stomping on her head as she lay on the walkway.
The violence didn’t slow down once she hit the ground. It kept going until someone physically intervened.
Her neighbor, a 37-year-old Navy veteran who identified himself as Mr. Barnett, said he had just returned from the gym around 9 a.m. Monday when he noticed the confrontation unfolding outside.
“It seemed like a dispute about the dog poop or whatever… a shouting match back and forth,” Barnett told the New York Post. “[When] the young lady in the red came around the corner… the way she approached Miss Linda just let me know that she was about to do something to her.”
Barnett described watching the moment the situation turned physical. “I saw the gate was coming up, and then the young lady came up and put her hands [on the victim] and started assaulting her, that’s when I got out [of] the car.”
Two dogs ran loose during the attack, circling the scene as the violence continued. Both animals were off-leash, which violates New York City law requiring dogs to be restrained by a leash no longer than six feet.
Barnett moved quickly to stop the assault. He pulled the attacker away from Scott and rushed to shut the gate, cutting off further contact.
He described Scott as someone deeply rooted in the neighborhood. “A staple in the community,” he said, adding she had “been here for years.”
The confrontation appears to have started moments earlier when one of the women accused Scott of throwing ammonia on a dog. The accusation came just before the physical attack began.
🎇Honor America’s 250th Anniversary!!!🎇 Get your 2026 Heritage Foundation commemorative membership card ➡️➡️➡️ ACTIVATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Scott’s son, Michael Scott, said the vacant lot next to his mother’s home has been a long-running issue. Neighbors routinely allow dogs to relieve themselves there without cleaning up, creating a persistent odor.
His mother acknowledged pouring ammonia in the area as a deterrent. She said the substance was used to keep dogs away from the lot, not as a weapon directed at animals.
Scott was hospitalized following the Monday morning assault and released two days later. As of Friday, the suspect had not been arrested, according to police statements.
The Brooklyn attack was one of several violent incidents involving elderly victims reported this week.
In Missouri, a grandmother was shot and killed while sitting in a car with her grandson outside her home. The shooting followed a minor vehicle incident moments earlier.
Shirley Johnson was sitting with her grandson, Markel McCurry, around 9 p.m. Tuesday when the situation escalated. McCurry said he had accidentally backed into a neighbor’s vehicle before the shooting.
A nearby resident, Jamal Jones, told police he witnessed the contact between the cars. Authorities say Jones then fired a shot.
“We heard a shot, pow,” McCurry said. “I didn’t realize she was shot.”
McCurry initially believed the noise came from elsewhere. He remained outside speaking with Jones, trying to understand what had happened.
“Me and the guy was having a conversation, I’m saying ‘show me where I hit, come down here and show me, I will pay, if you can show me the damage, I will pay for whatever,” McCurry said. “I go look around, as I’m still talking to him, I just see blood coming from her body, and I’m just in shock, I’m in awe.”
The realization came seconds later. The conversation stopped. The scene changed immediately.
Police said Jones later admitted to firing the weapon. He told investigators he had intended to shoot McCurry instead of Johnson.
McCurry said he restrained Jones until officers arrived at the scene.
Jones now faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and assault.
Court documents note he works at a post office and has no prior criminal history, though his defense attorney claimed he is “having memory issues currently.”
In Massachusetts, another violent case ended with the death of a 90-year-old woman after a family member allegedly attacked her with a skateboard inside her home.
Authorities accused Devin Dube, 29, of carrying out the fatal assault Tuesday afternoon at a residence in Hudson. Prosecutors said the attack took place in the basement apartment where his grandmother, Elaine Dube, lived.
Dube struck her multiple times with a skateboard, causing severe head and facial injuries, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Emergency responders transported her to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, where she later died from the injuries.
The violence did not stop there. Investigators said Dube then turned on his sister and father, striking both before leaving the home.
Police located him about 45 minutes later hiding inside a van on Tower Street. He was taken into custody without incident.
Prosecutors charged Dube with murder, along with multiple counts tied to assault and battery, including charges involving a dangerous weapon and victims over the age of 60.
He appeared in Marlborough District Court the following day, where a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Officials described the weapon used in the attack as a “typical skateboard” with a wooden deck and metal wheels.
Authorities have released limited information about the motive behind the attack. Investigators confirmed Dube’s sister made the initial 911 call.
Both his sister and father were treated at a hospital for facial and upper body injuries before being released.
Court records show Dube had prior interactions with law enforcement spanning several years. In 2020, he attempted to break into a home while the occupants were inside sleeping, throwing a planter through a glass door and threatening them with a knife.
In 2023, he was arrested for violating a restraining order after following a member of that same household.
The following year, he was involved in an altercation at a skate park where he allegedly yelled racial slurs and made threats.
Investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the fatal attack in coordination with state and local police. Hudson Police Chief Richard DiPersio called the incident a “senseless tragedy.”
Dube is scheduled to return to court on April 17 for a probable cause hearing.
