A golf dispute turned violent, leaving a Memphis community leader hospitalized and his assailant facing assault charges.
According to Memphis police, Wesley Caldwell, 22, struck Mark Coleman in the head with a club on Dec. 3 after Coleman went to retrieve a ball that was hit near the hole Caldwell was playing at the Links at Whitehaven course earlier this month.
Caldwell reportedly threw Coleman’s ball before striking the left side of his head with a club as Coleman tried to walk away.
Wesley Caldwell, 22, allegedly struck another golfer in the head with a club. Shelby County SheriffColeman became disoriented and was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery due to bleeding on the brain. He has “significant brain injuries,” according to authorities.
Caldwell was charged with aggravated assault on Monday and released on $5,000 bond.
Coleman’s family has been outspoken about the bond that they feel isn’t serious enough.
“For the bond hearing and the bond to be so low, it’s very unacceptable,” the victim’s brother Stephon Coleman said via WREG.
Wesley Caldwell was hospitalized with a fractured skull and a “serious brain injury” after the attack at Links at Whitehaven Getty Images“Why is it a $5,000 bond for the damage he’s done to my stepson,” Willie Walker, the victim’s stepfather, added.
The Memphis branch of the NAACP would also like to see the charges “upgraded from aggravated assault to attempted murder,” it said in a statement.
“Mr. Coleman has been a fixture in Memphis civic life for some time,” the NAACP said in a statement. “While we continue to pray for Mark, we will also continue to demand justice for Mark and for all of those impacted by violence in our community.”
Caldwell’s next court appearance is slated for Jan. 17, 2023.
