YOKNAPATAWPHA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

Investigating Officer(s): Det. S. Murphy. Det. E. Parker
Incident No.: 004053-21H-2022
Case Description: Oscar Knight death investigation

The Tupelo Police Department provided this incident report from Oscar Knight's 2015 arrest, along with a fingerprint exemplar obtained at the time of that arrest.

Tupelo PD further indicated that the charges against Oscar Knight were dropped two days after his arrest at the request of the victim.

The included tabs are provided only to assist with navigation of this document and are not part of the report.

INCIDENT / ARREST REPORT

Tupelo Police Department
71 East Troy Street
Tupelo, MS 38804

 ___ INCIDENT
     ___ Juvenile
     ___ Senior Citizen
     ___ Gang

  _X_ ARREST
     ___ Child Abuse
     ___ Domestic
     _X_ Involved Alcohol
  CASE NUMBER:
  2020-013796		 Date Reported:
  9/19/2020		  Time Reported:
  11:11 PM
 OFFENSE:
  Simple Assault		  STATUTE:
  97-7-7(1)		   _X_ Committed
  ___ Attempted
 OFFENSE:
  Disorderly Conduct		  STATUTE:
  97-35-3(1)(d)		   _X_ Committed
  ___ Attempted
 OFFENSE:
  Public Drunkenness		  STATUTE:
  97-29-47		   _X_ Committed
  ___ Attempted
 Location of Offense (Exact address, include Room/ Apt. No.)
  Sweetgum Lounge
  887 South Green Street, Tupelo, Mississippi		  Date of Offense:
  9/19/2020		  Time of Offense:
  11:00 - 11:15 PM
 Location of Arrest (Exact address, include Room/Apt. No.)
  Sweetgum Lounge
  887 South Green Street, Tupelo, Mississippi		  Date of Arrest:
  9/19/2020		  Time of Arrest:
  11:35 PM
 Reporting Officer:
  Ernestine Hallett		  Unit Number:
  0797		  Assisting Officer:
  Larry Whiting		  Unit Number:
  0596

Persons

PERSON 1
 Type:
 Witness		  Category:
 Adult		  Foul Play Suspected
 Yes
 Name:
 Oscar Knight		  Alias/Street Name/ Nickname
 none		  Vic/Offender Relationship
 none
 Race
 White		  Height
 6' 4"		  Weight
 230 lbs.		  Hair
 Gray		  Eyes
 Hazel		  Sex
  M
 Hat
 N/A		  Jacket/Coat
 N/A		  Shirt
 Blue		  Pants
 Blue denim		  Skirt/Dress
  N/A
 Age
     61		  DOB
 10/18/1959		  Soc. Security #
 XXX-XX-XXXX		  Scars/Marks/Tattoos
 none visible
 Injury Extent
 Superficial		  Injury Description
 minor cuts and abrasions on back of right hand, superficial abrasion on right cheek
 Address
 1412 Bella Vista Street, Tupelo, MS 		 Res Phone 269-XXXX
 Bus Phone 377-XXXX
 Occupation
 Civil Engineer		  Employer/School
 Patterson Engineering & Development, Inc.		  Employer Address
 460 East President Street, Tupelo, MS

 

PERSON 2
 Type:
 Victim		  Category:
 Adult		  Foul Play Suspected
 Yes
 Name:
 Gavin Price		  Alias/Street Name/ Nickname
 none		  Vic/Offender Relationship
 none
 Race
 White		  Height
 5' 10"		  Weight
 210 lbs.		  Hair
 Red		  Eyes
 Blue		  Sex
  M
 Hat
 N/A		  Jacket/Coat
 N/A		  Shirt
 Green		  Pants
 Khaki		  Skirt/Dress
  N/A
 Age
     38		  DOB
 1/5/1982		  Soc. Security #
 XXX-XX-XXXX		  Scars/Marks/Tattoos
 none visible
 Injury Extent
 Minor		  Injury Description
 contusion under left eye; split upper lip
 Address
 3743 North 11th Street, Phoenix, AZ 		 Res Phone 623-203-XXXX
 Bus Phone 623-565-XXXX
 Occupation
 Salesman		  Employer/School
 Permanent Comfort Coffin Company		  Employer Address
 16th Street & Osborn Road, Phoenix, AZ

Reporting Officer's Narrative

  REPORTING OFFICER'S NARRATIVE (Brief narrative of the facts surrounding the offense and the arrest.)
Click to enlarge

At 11:07 p.m., Dispatch notified R/O (Hallett - 0797) of a 911 call reporting a disturbance at the Sweetgum Lounge on South Green Street.

R/O and partner (Whiting - 0596) responded to the location. An employee of the business indicated that two patrons were having a dispute inside the establishment.

Upon entry, R/Os observed two adult males involved in a physical altercation. R/Os separated and detained both in the parking lot of the establishment.

One of the males (Person 2) exhibited minor injuries to the face and appeared mildly intoxicated. He identified himself as Gavin Price of Phoenix, Arizona. Price stated he had inadvertently caused an argument with the other male (Person 1) during a discussion of college football. Price claimed he had simply defended himself when attacked.

The other male (Person 1) exhibited superficial injuries on his right hand and the right side of his face and appeared intoxicated. He identified himself as Oscar Knight of Tupelo. He stated the other male (Person 2) had been harassing him all evening and forced him to strike Person 2.

Sweetgum Lounge employees identified Knight as the aggressor but asked R/Os to remove both men from the premises.

Knight was arrested for simple assault, disorderly conduct, and public drunkenness and taken into custody.

Price was cited for disorderly conduct and released.

 

  DEFENDANT'S VERSION/REMARKS (What did the defendant say?)

Knight refused to participate in any field sobriety test at the scene, but R/Os determined by observation that Knight was intoxicated. Therefore, any remarks were of questionable reliability.

Knight claimed Price had deliberately incited him to violence in an effort to sue Knight for financial gain.

Knight refused to allow R/O Hallett to place him in handcuffs because "no woman is going to arrest me." When R/O Whiting attempted to handcuff the defendant, Knight initially refused to submit, saying he "could take" R/O Whiting.

R/O Whiting verbally subdued the defendant within a few minutes and took him into custody without further incident.

 REPORTING OFFICER  Ernestine Hallett  DATE REPORTED  9-20-2020
 REPORTING OFFICER  //Ernestine Hallett
 Signature		  0797
 Unit Number		  9-20-2020
 Date
 ASSISTING OFFICER  //Larry Whiting
 Signature		  0596
 Unit Number		  9-20-2020
 Date