A Starkville Fire Department battalion chief and Mississippi State University employee died early Monday afternoon in a New Orleans’ hospital after three men attacked him in Terrebonne Parish early Saturday morning. Rusty Dawkins, 40, of 2106 Plum Road, died Monday in the intensive care unit at the Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans, as a result of severe head injuries.
Dawkins was transferred to the New Orleans hospital Saturday afternoon after spending nearly 12 hours in the Terrebonne General Medical Center emergency room.
He was attacked outside the Harbor Lights Bar in Cocodrie, La., early Saturday morning, officials said.
Cocodrie is located approximately 55 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Godfrey Buquet, chief of operations for the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Department, said that Dawkins was involved in a pool bet gone bad. Three men were reported to have been in an altercation with Dawkins over a $7 bet.
“It is really sad to see something like this over a stupid bet, especially only $7,” Buquet said.
The three suspects were charged with second-degree battery as of Monday afternoon. However, Buquet said that those charges will likely change in the near future.
“I am confident that the charges will be risen to murder or manslaughter,” Buquet said. “We are presently talking with the district attorney’s office to see if we raise the charges or if we have to go in front of a grand jury.”
The suspects remain in jail with bond set at $300,000 each:
*Calvin Vergin Jr., 25, of 115 Jane St., Chauvin, La.
*Nicholas Paul Pierron, 21, of 7334 Louisiana Highway 56, Cocodrie, La.
*Thomas Hoffele, 19, of 920 Eagle Drive, Houma, La.
Buquet said that according to police records, Pierron has a criminal background.
“He (Pierron) has been arrested for many charges in the past,” Buquet said. “These charges include simple battery, two counts of theft and possession of marijuana.”
Dawkins was in Louisiana on a fishing trip with another Starkville Fire Department officer.
“It really irritates me when people cause serious problems in the community to people who are just visiting.”
News of Dawkins’ death has sent shock waves across the Starkville community, and the Starkville Fire Department is upset about his death.
“The department as a whole is pretty shaken by this tragedy,” Brian Prisock, another battalion chief for the Starkville Fire Department, said. “Everyone in whole department are not taking this very well at all.”
Prisock said that Dawkins was in charge of the shifts for a particular battalion.
“He had 14 men under him,” Prisock said. “This is going to take a while to recover from this situation.”
Dawkins was a 21-year veteran of the department and also a employee with the Wildlife and Fisheries department at MSU.
“Rusty was a great guy, he always worked his hardest,” Prisock said. “He was one of the most dedicated men I know.”
No funeral or ceremony plans have been set for Dawkins according to officials.