Local

Man accused of fatally sucker-punching a father of three goes on trial

QUINCY, Mass. — The trial is set to begin Monday for a man accused of fatally sucker punching another man outside the Quincy American Legion Post nearly three years ago.

It took almost a year to identify and arrest the suspect, Matthew Potter, in this case. Potter’s father was a Quincy police detective, and another family member is a current Quincy police officer, so the Quincy police department removed itself from the investigation.

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The victim, 44-year-old Christopher McCallum, and his brother were at the Quincy American Legion Post in January of 2019 to see one of their favorite bands. According to prosecutors, Potter was thrown out for offensive actions and comments made toward women.

The McCallum family said Christopher was trying to break up a fight outside when Potter punched him, causing McCallum to fall back and hit his head. The father of three died the next day at Boston Medical Center.

An 11-month long investigation led to the arrest of Potter and his brother. According to the Patriot Ledger, District Attorney Michael Morrissey is a member of that American Legion Post and assigned a special prosecutor to handle this case.

Potter faces several charges, including manslaughter. His lawyer maintains he was the victim of a group assault and suffered several injuries that night, as well.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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