A downtown assault case involving the vandalizing of seasonal pumpkin displays more than a year ago has sparked a civil lawsuit.
In a civil complaint filed Nov. 8 in Lowndes County Circuit Court, Detrick Jefferson and John Boykin request compensatory and punitive damages from seven people who were allegedly a part of a mob that insulted and attacked them. Criminal charges are still pending in Lowndes County Circuit Court against three of the men involved.
A civil complaint represents only one side of a legal argument.
The complaint said that on Nov. 11, 2023, Jefferson and Boykin decided to meet at the Princess Theater on Fifth Street. Defendants Brody Kizer, Robert Ivey, Peyton Buckner, Carson Forrester, Jackson Kizer, Mary Ashleigh Butler and Deborah Alexandria Flowers were also drinking at the same bar.
The group of seven then left the bar. A few minutes later, Jefferson and Boykin decided to walk toward Zachary’s restaurant, in the same direction as the group. Neither Jefferson nor Boykin was intoxicated, while the seven defendants were, the complaint said.
As Boykin and Jefferson walked north on Fifth Street, they allegedly saw some members of the larger group start destroying fall decorations that were downtown in front of businesses and city properties. They were allegedly throwing pumpkins and knocking over displays.
When Boykin and Jefferson told the group to stop, an argument started. Brody Kizer allegedly said “F*** you. I don’t stunt you, n*****. I do what I want,” to Jefferson, before the verbal argument continued to escalate.
The complaint claims that Kizer and the group charged at Boykin and Jefferson, as the rest of the group surrounded them and started threatening them.
As the situation continued to escalate, Kizer allegedly lunged at Jefferson and hit him in the head. Jefferson fell, hit his head on the ground, and was knocked unconscious. After Jefferson had fallen, Ivey allegedly jumped on him and attacked him. Butler then allegedly kicked him while he was on the ground.
Kizer and Ivey then allegedly attacked Boykin as he attempted to reach Jefferson to render aid. While Ivey pinned Boykin on the ground, Kizer allegedly kicked him repeatedly. As he tried to escape, Butler then jumped on Boykin’s back and pulled on his neck, the complaint said.
The attacks from Kizer and Ivey continued after that, with the rest of the group alternating between “physical and verbal encouragement of the primary attackers Brody Kizer and Cole Ivey,” the complaint said.
“The injuries were further a result of the assistance, encouragement and enabling of the primary aggressors by the group of other defendants by surrounding, verbally assaulting, grabbing and otherwise participating in what can only be referred to as a mob attack,” the complaint said.
The defendants then fled the scene in Buckner’s truck, hanging out the window and yelling insults while using obscene gestures, the complaint said. The attack left both Boykin and Jefferson “significantly and permanently injured,” with the pair incurring substantial medical bills.
One victim was injured seriously enough to require surgery, Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch in the days following the incident.
Kizer, Ivey and Buckner were arrested and initially charged with two counts of aggravated assault, though Buckner’s charge was later reduced to accessory after the fact. Those criminal charges are pending in Lowndes County Circuit Court.
A court date has not yet been set for the civil suit, though the complaint demands a trial by jury. The defendants had not filed a response to the complaint Thursday.
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