LAKE CITY, Fla. – A man died after being punched several times, according to the Lake City Police Department.
Officers responded to Windsong Apartments shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday night after receiving a report of an unresponsive person.
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When officers arrived, they found Christopher Roy, 39, unconscious.
Police identified the suspect as Mario Brinson, 27, who was still in the apartment when officers arrived.
Lake City police said Brinson tried several times to get to Roy by forcefully pushing officers aside until he was told to leave the apartment.
Witnesses in the apartment told officers that Brinson and Roy had gotten into an argument, then “bowed up” at each other.
Brinson then punched Roy once in the face with his fist and Roy spun around and fell face first to the kitchen floor, losing consciousness, according to police.
Brinson then got back on top of Roy and struck him several more times while he was unconscious, LCPD said.
The two female witnesses were unable to dial 911 for assistance for approximately 10 minutes due to threats by Brinson, they told police.
Officers performed CPR on Roy for more than 30 minutes before he was transported to Lake City Medical Center.
Roy was then flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Gainesville due to the severity of his injuries and was on life support until he was removed from it Sunday before noon.
Brinson was arrested and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility with no bond.
After his first court appearance Sunday, Brinson's bond was set at $210,000.
Charges against Brinson will be upgraded from aggravated battery to manslaughter.