Man dies after fight at Mississippi restaurant; 1 person charged
Published 1:35 pm Monday, April 18, 2022
A man died during the weekend after a fight at a north Mississippi restaurant, authorities said.
News outlets reported that officers responded to a call early Saturday about an assault at Steele’s Dive in Tupelo.
Tupelo Police Maj. Chuck McDougald said officers found emergency medical responders treating Leonard “K.C.” Cooper, 31, of Fulton.
Cooper was taken to the emergency room at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, then transferred to Region One Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green said Cooper died Saturday night at the hospital in Memphis. His body was being taken to the Mississippi crime lab in Pearl for an autopsy.
McDougald said a person was taken into custody Saturday and initially was charged with aggravated assault. WTVA-TV reported Cooper died a short time later. Police did not immediately release the name of the person charged.
McDougald told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that detectives would confer with the district attorney’s office about the possibility of charging the person with homicide.