Heated argument turns deadly when one man throws chair at another’s head, SC cops say
CLARIFICATION: After the sheriff’s office originally said that Charles Crumpler Jr. was not a resident at Summer Wind Apartments, deputies have since clarified that he did reside at the complex.
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An argument broke out between two men near an apartment complex fire pit in South Carolina, deputies say. By the end of the fight, the sheriff’s office says one man was struck with a blunt object that later killed him.
John Kronenberger, 62, was arrested and charged with murder after deputies say he killed a man with a chair during an argument at a Summerville apartment complex Nov. 9. The man who was fatally injured in the altercation, 51-year-old Charles Crumpler Jr., was unresponsive when deputies arrived, according to the sheriff’s office incident report.
An anonymous caller notified responders of a “disturbance” at one of Summer Wind Apartments’ common areas at about 8 p.m., according to Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office news releases.
When deputies arrived, they found Crumpler, a Summer Winds Apartments resident, lying face down near the complex’s fire pit, according to the report.
There was blood streaming from Crumpler’s face, deputies said, and he was “struggling to breath.”
Emergency medical responders came to the scene soon after to provide CPR to the unconscious man, and he was taken to a hospital, deputies said. Crumpler was pronounced dead at Trident Medical Center in North Charleston, according to the arrest warrant.
Witnesses, who were residents at the apartment complex, told deputies there was a fight between Crumpler and a man later identified as Kronenberger.
A heated argument between the two escalated earlier that night when Kronenberger shoved Crumpler to the ground, according to the sheriff’s office arrest warrant. Then, the 62-year-old chucked a chair at Crumpler’s face, causing “great bodily harm to his head area” and his later death, deputies said.
There is no further information on what Kronenberger and Crumpler were arguing over, a Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told McClatchy News.
Kronenberger fled to his apartment at Summer Wind Apartments, deputies said, and he was arrested that night.
Kronenberger and Crumpler drank alcohol at some point in the night, according to the incident report.
The 62-year-old was booked Nov. 9 at the Dorchester County Detention Center and is being held with no bond as of Nov. 13, according to jail records.
Summerville is about 25 miles northwest of Charleston.
This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Heated argument turns deadly when one man throws chair at another’s head, SC cops say."
