A Columbus man died Wednesday while trying to repair a roof damaged in Saturday’s tornado.
Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant identified the victim as Donald Charles “Donnie” Schippel, 77.
Schippel fell 12 feet from the roof of a building on Sixth Street South just before 1 p.m., Merchant said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The building is being leased by Waste Pro Recycling Company, said division manager Phillip Crossley. However, Schippel was a private contractor doing repair work for the building’s owners, Thomas L. Phillips and Henry Weiss.
“We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of course,” Crossley said. “Mr. Don had done the maintenance on more than one occasion for the location, anything that was needed. Our sincerest regrets go out to everyone.”
Schippel’s is the second reported death resulting from a deadly tornado that ripped through Columbus just after 5 p.m. Saturday. Ashley Glynell Pounds, 41, of Tupelo, died Saturday night at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle after the building she was in collapsed during the storm.
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