Memphis police have arrested 27-year-old Napatryan Jones in connection with the aggravated assault that led to the death of 77-year-old Eddie Bond. The incident occurred on last month, near a Tops Bar-B-Q on Union Avenue. Bond passed away on Sunday last week after being taken off life support by his family. Despite originally being charged with aggravated assault, the charges against Jones may be upgraded pending the results of a medical examiner's investigation.
According to the Action News 5 report, Jones allegedly chased Bond, punched him in the head, and threw him on the ground, leaving him unconscious. Video surveillance footage from the scene revealed the severity of the assault, showing Bond hit the concrete and remain motionless for minutes. Despite the initial decline of treatment, Bond's disorientation and critical condition ultimately resulted in his hospitalization.
This footage, along with an officer's recognition from prior encounters with Jones, including a shoplifting arrest and warrant pickup, led to an eventual positive ID in a six-person photo lineup. The Memphis Police Department Facebook post described the suspect as a Black male wearing a white muscle shirt and bright red pants with facial tattoos.
Contrary to an initial assumption of robbery as motive for the attack, Courtney Bond, Eddie's son, informed FOX13 that his father’s wallet was intact. "When I obtained (my father's) wallet, none of his money was missing," he said.
Jones, who has been arrested at least five times since last January, including for an incident involving alleged felony sexual battery—a charge which was later dropped—is now held at the Shelby County jail. He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, and the detailed circumstances leading up to the fatal assault remain under active investigation by the authorities.
