DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - The son of a former Quincy police detective accused of manslaughter in the death of a 44-year-old father of three is set to go to trial Monday.
Matthew Potter is charged with manslaughter and assault in connection with the January 2019 fight outside the Robert I. Nickerson American Legion Post that left Chris McCallum, of Bridgewater, unconscious and bleeding on the ground outside the bar on Moon Island Road.
Potter and his brother, Steven Potter, were argumentative and acting aggressively before starting the fight with a member of the American Legion Post, court documents indicate.
When they were eventually thrown out of the facility, a scuffle is said to have broken out outside, involving the Potters, McCallum, and several others.
At one point during the fight, police say McCallum was punched, causing him to fall over and slam his head on the ground. He died two days later.
The state medical examiner’s office filed a death certificate in August, which indicated McCallum died from blunt force trauma and that his manner of death was a homicide.
McCallum was married with three sons. Dozens of his family members and friends packed the courtroom for the 2019 hearing, including McCallum’s wife, Kathy.
“My family will never be the same without such a wonderful husband. My sons will live forever without their loving father because of Matthew and Steven Potter and their reckless behavior and senseless act of violence,” Kathy McCallum told reporters.
The Potters previously pleaded not guilty in connection with McCallum’s death during arraignments at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham in Nov. 2019.
His brother, Steven Potter, who has been employed as an EMT with Boston EMS for more than two years, is facing assault charges related to two other people who were involved in the fight but not to McCallum, officials said.
In a 2019 statement, Boston EMS said, “Boston’s emergency medical professionals are committed to helping those in need, often through life-saving measures, and we have no tolerance for behavior that goes against this mission. As a result of today’s arraignment, Boston EMS has placed EMT Steven Potter on administrative leave. Our thoughts and prayers are with the McCallum family and everyone impacted by this horrible tragedy.”
Matthew and Steven Potter’s attorney said no one could see anything during the “general melee” in the dark parking lot. He also stated that he believes his clients are not guilty.
The trial is slated to begin Monday.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)