An amateur mixed martial arts fighter is charged with the death of an American pilot who was fatally shot outside a Florida bar.
Ross Johnson, 23, of Carterville, Illinois, has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Air Force Airman 1st Class Dayvon Larry, 31, of Malone, Florida, authorities said Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear whether Johnson had legal representation, and the area’s public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fighting broke out both outside and inside the Coyote Ugly Saloon on Sunday. Larry did not participate, but may have known someone involved in an altercation leading up to the fighting, according to an incident report from the Panama City Beach Police Department.
Larry was beaten once in a bar parking lot, police said.
Security personnel broke up the fight, found Larry and called first responders, who administered CPR before taking him to a hospital, where he died, police said.
Johnson was identified as a suspect based on security videos, police said. Investigators said he gave conflicting accounts of what led up to his altercation with Larry, but eventually confessed, police said in a statement.
Coyote Ugly did not respond to a request for comment.
Larry was from Malone, a small town 70 miles north of Panama City Beach, police said.
A spokesman for Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, confirmed an aviator died Monday, but did not identify the person.
Police identified Johnson as an MMA fighter.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
