Rocco Parascandola
New York Daily News
The death of a 55-year-old Queens man knocked out by an off-duty firefighter in a bar fight has been ruled a homicide, police said Thursday.
Devin Deegan, 55, was punched out by Justin Deieso outside the Terrace Inn Bar & Grill in Whitestone right after it closed at 4 a.m. on March 27. Deegan fell to the ground and suffered an apparent heart attack.
Deieso, 35, a former Marine who has been with the FDNY for seven years, was charged with misdemeanor assault under terms of the so-called one-punch homicide law, which requires intent to kill for more serious charges to be filed.
Homicide is a medical classification that means the actions of one person caused the death of another but it doesn’t necessarily mean a crime has been committed.
Deieso’s lawyer has contended he acted in self-defense.
Neighbors after the incident spoke highly of Deieso, who had been assigned to Ladder Co. 122 in Park Slope.
The victim, who lived a few blocks from the bar, was described by his brother, Sean Deegan, 60, as a “great man.”
“I can’t believe this happened,” he said. “Stuff escalates, and what are you gonna do?”
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