The family of a Massachusetts man who died after an altercation at a Quincy bar is pleading for witnesses to come forward in the case.
Kathy McCallum urged a crowd at a vigil in honor of her husband Christopher McCallum to speak up if they know anything about his death.
“Please clear your conscience and tell the truth,” she said. “Even lies of omission lead to injustice.”
Christopher McCallum, 44, was found unconscious and bleeding outside the Robert I. Nickerson American Legion Post in the early morning hours of Jan. 27. Family members say he’d been there for a concert when a large disturbance broke out in the parking lot.
They say Christopher McCallum was punched as he tried to break up the fight.
“Someone’s responsible for this and they should own up to it,” said Jean O’Donnell, a family relative. “You can run but you can’t hide.”
Quincy police responded to a report of a disturbance around 1:00 a.m. where they found Christopher McCallum in the parking lot with injuries, which he later died from at Boston Medical Center.
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“It’s like it took a big chunk out of hearts. He was such a nice guy. He shouldn’t have died,” said his father, William McCallum Sr.
Hours before his death, McCallum stopped by his parents’ home to drop something off and told them he was having fun at the show, which was just blocks away. The next morning they would learn of his injuries.
“I never would have thought we’d be going through this in a million years, never ever," McCallum Sr. said. “My son is in the ground and nobody is saying a word. I don’t understand it.”
According to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, investigators are still eager to hear from people in attendance that night. They say they need help from the public to find out more about what happened the night Christopher McCallum died.
To help with their effort, a family friend organized a vigil in McCallum’s honor Friday night in an effort to keep his case in the public.
“What happened here, it’s not ok. And we are going to talk about it and we are going to continue to talk about it until we have some answers,” said Jennifer Gates, who grew up with Kathy McCallum.
The vigil brought a couple of hundred people together to remember Christopher McCallum and to spread the word about justice.
“I think it’s causing rumors but I also think it’s bringing people together,” said Quincy resident Alison Striffler.
Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police at 781-830-4990.
The Quincy Police Department recused itself from the investigation because several officers knew McCallum growing up.
