Local Bronze Star recipient dies during fist fight

ATLANTA — He survived serving in Iraq and earned one of the highest American honors, but a local war hero died during a fist fight in Georgia.

Authorities say 38-year-old Wesley Braswell died on Wednesday after being involved in a fight at a home in Albany.

The father of three, from Atlanta, was armed with a gun when he got into a fight with a man who lived at the house on the 2200 block of Duitman Road, Dougherty police say.

No shots were fired, but Braswell fell unresponsive during the fight, and died.

An autopsy is planned.

"We've got to gather the facts about what occurred there and we've got to gather the facts about what the cause of death was and what resulted in the death.  So at this time we don't have anything for criminal charges," said Dougherty County Police Captain Tom Jackson.

"Number one, we are evaluating the forensic evidence, but preliminarily it appear to be a circumstance that there will be issues of stand your ground and self-defense," said Dougherty District Attorney Greg Edwards.

Friends of Braswell say he was in Albany to bury his brother, who had recently passed away.

No charges have been filed. The death investigation continues.

WALB-TV spoke to Braswell in 2010 about his harrowing story about how he earned one of the highest American honors: the Bronze Star of Valor.

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Braswell said in 2006, he was a team medic, driving a truck in a convoy headed across Northern Iraq, when the lead truck hit an IED and exploded. Live ammunition in the truck was going off as it burned, with three wounded men inside. Braswell went in to save them.

“There was nothing but thick smoke and fire, flames coming out. I checked to make sure it was safe enough for me to break through. But I heard the people. I had to get to them, so there was no other way. So I went through there, got to the people," Braswell told WALB-TV.

While Braswell tended the wounded, he fired warning shots at another suspected enemy vehicle approaching them. Their maps were burned up in the attack, but Braswell was able to lead the convoy to its destination because he knew the area.

Information from WALB-TV was used in this report.

Cox Media Group