On March 5, 2023, Montavious Jemar Clifton, a 30-year-old Black man, was at Cheers Bar on North Gloster Street in Tupelo when an altercation turned violent. Hatchett allegedly pistol-whipped Clifton; during that assault the firearm discharged and Clifton was struck. He was found by responding officers with a gunshot wound, taken to North Mississippi Medical Center, and later died of his injuries.

Tupelo Police arrested Hatchett and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with Clifton’s death. Clifton’s family also filed a wrongful death suit naming the bar owner and the building owner, alleging the establishment served alcohol past legal hours and lacked adequate security measures such as weapons checks, which they say contributed to the fatal outcome.

Are there witnesses who were at Cheers Bar that night or anyone with video or information about the altercation?