Police say Man Hit Co-Worker with Shovel But Witness says it Didn’t Happen

(Memphis) It sounds like serious crime and a brutal assault.

“I didn’t know that happened here. I am kinda a little bit shocked by that,” said Zach Seal, who lives on the street where an attack allegedly happened.

Police say Bailey Agnew hit his co-worker across the face with a shovel, leaving the victim, Prince Sims, with a traumatic brain and head injury.

Sims told police that doctors believe he may soon need surgery.

Agnew is now facing 15 years in prison, but one man, who says he witnessed the assault, says Agnew doesn’t deserve that much prison time.

 ”There was no shovel involved,” said Bob McClure, who lives in the property having its driveway repaved. “I don`t know why they wrote that down in the police report, but there was no shovel.”

McClure told us he saw the whole thing from his porch Friday morning and that two workers were arguing over something, when one of them clocked the other in face. He says the victim got knocked out cold, “He was laying there with his feet straight up in the air,” said McClure. “Laying in the dirt with his head in the concrete.”

McClure says Sims was unconscious for about 30 seconds and Agnew threw one heck of a punch, but he never used a deadly weapon.

“It would have killed him if he hit him with a shovel,” said McClure. “Believe me, it would have been a lot worse.”

 McClure says he is willing to tell police what he saw that day on Carnes Avenue.

Agnew is charged with aggravated assault with a bond set at $30,000.