MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis firefighter was arrested after a fight at a downtown Memphis restaurant turned deadly Saturday.
Cameron Land, 26, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide.
According to an affidavit obtained by WREG, officers responded to a report of a fight on GE Patterson Avenue near St. Martin Street. Officers reportedly found a victim lying unconscious on the sidewalk.
Court documents say the victim was transported to Regional One, where he was later pronounced dead.
Witnesses on the scene reportedly told police that the victim, who police say was a friend of Land’s, had walked into Little Italy restaurant and began to fight Land. Court documents say employees escorted Land and the victim from the restaurant.
Land and the victim reportedly continued fighting on the sidewalk. According to court documents, surveillance footage shows that a witness tried to break up the fight, but Land and the victim continued to walk toward each other.
Court documents say Land punched the victim in the head three times. The victim reportedly fell to the ground and hit his head on the sidewalk.
Land was booked into the Shelby County Jail Sunday. His bond has been set at $350,000.
He appeared in court on Monday and was represented by Leslie Ballin. “Bonds are not to punish,” Balin told WREG. “The pen has shifted low bonds to unconstitutional high bonds and we need to be in the middle. In the middle is way less than $350,000.”
Ballin wants Judge Karen Massey to lower his bond. “The normal process is to have a bond hearing usually the next day but this case is unusual. On an E Felony, somebody without a record, a cognizance release, without posting a mandatory bond, would be appropriate.”
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The attorney claims this was a mutual fight that unfortunately had a bad ending. He says his client is not a danger to the community.
“Not every fistfight is a crime and that’s what this was with an unintended consequence. He’s been a fireman for four years and he has no records,” Ballin added.
Land is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for his bond hearing.
We reached out to the Memphis Fire Department for a statement.
They responded, “Cameron Land has been relieved of duty pending both a police and an internal investigation. Given the ongoing nature of these investigations, we are unable to provide further comments or details at this time.”
