Published Thursday, January 26, 2012

Man hurt in December fight dies; Police still investigating incident

The Newnan Times-Herald

What started as an altercation over a revving car engine at a Newnan apartment complex may end up being a homicide.

As it stands now, one individual is out of jail on bond, charged with battery; the other man was buried Monday.

The question facing Newnan Police officials is whether the December 2011 fight and resulting injuries caused the death of 54-year-old Paul Douglas Bailey. The time between the fight and Bailey's death was just over a month. However, Bailey never returned home, remaining in hospitals or a rehabilitation center until his death.

"We are looking at the injuries sustained in the original assault and will make a determination if the cause of death was brought on by the assault," said Newnan Police Department Deputy Chief Rodney Riggs.

"We are not prepared to make that determination yet," Riggs said, adding investigators are continuing to talk with doctors at two different hospitals and other witnesses.

If that investigation determines the fight led to the death, police would have cause to issue an arrest warrant for murder for 19-year-old Brian Robert Pfeifer.

Bailey's widow, Allie Bailey, said she knows the fight between Pfeifer and her husband killed him, despite the month-long interval before he died.

"That man had all the intentions of killing my husband," said Allie Bailey, who witnessed the attack. "He was choking him to death."

Allie Bailey said her husband was on dialysis for the past nine years -- but he always took his medicine. And she said his prior medical history had nothing to do with his death.

"All of this stems back to the attack," she said. "None of it was caused by anything but that attack... All his injuries and surgeries were on his head and brain."

The Baileys have a 3-year-old daughter, and Allie Bailey said her daughter told her "I saw that man hitting daddy."

"How do I explain that?" she asked.

* * *

Bailey was taken to Piedmont Newnan Hospital on Dec. 12, 2011, because of the injuries he sustained in the fight. He never went back home.

According to Allie Bailey, her husband started having slurred speech two days later -- Dec. 14. Tests showed he was bleeding in his brain and he was taken by ambulance to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

Bailey underwent surgery Dec. 16 to relieve the swelling and stop the bleeding, and had a similar surgery again on Dec. 17, Allie Bailey said.

Bailey was transferred to Lafayette Rehabilitation Center in Fayetteville on Jan. 6.

"He was getting better," Allie Bailey said. "He was showing progress."

On Jan. 14, nurses called Allie Bailey and told her that her husband was complaining of headaches and was throwing up. He was taken to Piedmont Fayette Hospital -- tests showed a massive stroke and uncontrollable bleeding. He went into a coma.

He was airlifted back to Grady that day, but doctors said there was nothing they could do. Brain tests conducted Jan. 14 and 15 showed no activity and he was pronounced dead, Allie Bailey said.

* * *

Around 6:15 a.m. that Dec. 12 morning, police were called to the East Broad Summit Point Apartments in Newnan in reference to a fight.

Once there, police saw Bailey sitting in the parking lot with Allie Bailey beside him.

"I also observed several injuries to Mr. Bailey's facial area consisting of a busted lip and a busted nose," an officer said in his report. "I immediately notified Coweta 911 to have Coweta EMS en route to the location to check Mr. Bailey's injuries."

According to the police report interview with Bailey:

• Bailey told police he was in his car accelerating the engine to check for a possible problem.

• Bailey said he noticed a man approaching him, who "stated to him in a hostile voice that he needed to quit revving the engine."

• Bailey told the other man he was checking his car engine and to leave him alone.

• "At this time Mr. Bailey stated he exited his vehicle and grabbed a baby stroller from the trunk of the vehicle based on the subject's demeanor."

• Bailey said he again asked the other man to leave him alone and when the other man approached him in a threatening manner, Bailey "stated he swung the baby stroller to protect himself."

• Bailey said the other man struck him several times in the face, knocked him to the ground and continued to hit him. The other man then left and went into his apartment.

That other man is Pfeifer.

* * *

According to Pfeifer's interview with police:

• Pfeifer said he was standing on the porch of his apartment when he heard the engine revving.

• Pfeifer said he went down to confront Bailey and to tell him to stop. Pfeifer said Bailey told him "he didn't have to."

• "Mr. Pfeifer stated the two then had words and then Mr. Bailey pulled out a baby stroller."

• Pfeifer said he walked up to Bailey and Bailey swung the stroller at him and hit him.

• Pfeifer said it was at that point he struck Bailey.

The police report then states officers handcuffed Pfeifer and told him he was being arrested for battery. Pfeifer was then taken to the Coweta County Jail.

Bailey was taken to Piedmont Newnan.

* * *

There was no phone contact information listed for Pfeifer.

A search of police reports on the Internet showed a Brian Robert Pfeifer with the same address and age as listed on the Newnan report as being arrested in August 2009 for felony entering an auto and in March 2011 for violation of parole.

Bailey's funeral was Monday at Burns Chapel United Methodist Church. Burial followed at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Ala.