York man dies blunt force injuries following Wednesday night assault

(WHTM) — York City Police are investigating the death of 35-year-old Zachary Young after he was assaulted on the 200 block of W. Jackson Street by a group of individuals.

When police officers were called to the scene Wednesday night just before 10:30 p.m., they spoke with the witness who originally confronted Young as a trespasser. According to a York Police report, when Young attempted to flee the scene the witness alerted the group of individuals nearby to try and stop him.

York City Police Detective Sergeant Kyle Hower tells abc27 that Young was inside a residence when an individual drove him out.

Emergency services and officers arrived at the scene and found Young suffering from injuries from the assault and provided medical treatment before he died at York Hospital.

“From the video surveillance that we’ve been pulling from various businesses and residents in the area, [it] looks like he was physically assaulted by a bunch of actors,” Hower said. Hower said it did not appear Young was shot or stabbed.

Hower says police have collected surveillance video from local businesses and residents to attempt to identify members of the group who assaulted Young.

“It’s helpful in any investigation that we have, that’s how we piece things together,” he said.

Hower said police are in the process of developing suspects, but he would not confirm whether Young knew his assaulters.

York County Deputy Coroner Carissa McLyman responded to York Hospital to investigate and certify the death late Wednesday night. An autopsy happened on Friday, May 27. According to the Coroner, Smith died from multiple blunt force injuries to the head.

The coroner’s office says Young did not have a fixed address but was last known to live in York City. Hower confirmed Young is from York.

Hower says police are relying on the community’s help to find the people who assaulted Young.

“We want people to come forward that have seen this. We know there’s people in residence in the area that probably witnessed the assault,” he said. “That could be the difference of us solving this or not.”

The incident is under active investigation by the York City Police Department as a homicide. Anyone with information should contact them either through the CRIMEWATCH app or by calling the department at 717-846-1234 or at 717-849-2219.

According to the York County Coroner, there have been 16 deaths from homicides, 11 of which have occurred in York City.