WEST POINT — A former Marine injured during a fight in a Huddle House parking lot is being transferred to a facility in Texas.
Ralph Weems IV, a 32-year-old former Marine and Iraq war veteran, was found unresponsive in the Huddle House parking lot along Highway 45 Alternate in late August. Since the incident, Weems has been recovering at the North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, according to the Facebook page, “Standing Up for Ralph Weems.”
Weems is expected to move to a rehabilitation facility in Texas in the coming weeks, the page said.
Weems, who was put into a medically-induced coma following the beating, is now able to speak and feed himself, according to the social media page.
Two men have been arrested in the incident.
Marquavious McMillian, 20, of Aberdeen, and Courtez McMillian, 22, of Okolona, have each been charged with one count of aggravated assault for their alleged role in the beating. Police are not saying if the alleged offenders are related.
Both men received a $250,000 bond.
Weems and another man had been at the Waffle House on Highway 45 Alternate before the fight, according to law enforcement. The other man, David Knighten, told The Associated Press that at Waffle House, they were told it was not safe for whites because of the shooting death of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9. Weems and Knighten then went to Huddle House, where a fight occurred.
Knighten told The Associated Press that he and Weems were beaten because they are white. Knighten claimed a group of approximately 20 people attacked Weems.
While Brinkley would not comment on the specifics of the case, he said evidence does not support the majority of witness claims being reported.
“A lot, a whole lot, of what has been stated by these media sources that is reported by somebody else, is not accurate,” Brinkley previously told The Dispatch. “The evidence does not support that.”
Brinkley has said only a grand jury has the power to elevate an assault to a hate crime.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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