A Tate County man is facing a misdemeanor charge following an assault that sent a man to the hospital, according to the Oxford Police Department.
The suspect, identified by OPD as Tyler Wright, 20, of Coldwater, was taken into custody Sunday, Sept. 25, charged with simple assault and later released under a $487 bond.
A report from the Oxford Police Department stated an attack occurred shortly after midnight Sunday, Sept. 18, in the vicinity of Fillmore Avenue. Authorities said the victim, who was not identified by OPD, was struck one time with a fist and fell to the ground, hitting his head.
A video of the aftermath, which was widely circulated on social media, appears to show an apparently unconscious man lying in the street, bleeding from his ear as people mock him.
On the video, someone can be heard saying, “Don’t come to Fillmore talking high (expletive). You’ll end up like this.” The video shows both the person talking and the man on the ground, according to OPD.
Following the assault, the victim’s roommate eventually took him to the emergency room at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi in Oxford. The victim was later transported to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis.
Police responded to the hospital on the night of the incident, interviewed witnesses and collected videos recorded by onlookers. Over the next week, police investigators spoke with witnesses, the suspect and the victim regarding the incident.
The victim signed an affidavit Friday, Sept. 23, against Wright for simple assault. On Sunday, Sept. 25, a full week after the assault, OPD patrol officers located Wright and arrested him.
Wright was booked into the Lafayette County Detention Center and released less than an hour later after posting bond.
