Coroner IDs MS Coast man who died after alleged gas station beating as military veteran

A man who died this month after he was allegedly beaten by a gas station security guard was a 75-year-old U.S. military veteran, authorities said.

Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer identified the man as Scott Miller, of Gulfport. He died Jan. 13 after a long stay at Memorial Hospital. Switzer said Miller’s cause of death was not immediately clear but stemmed from a head injury.

Police said Ellis Townsend, 27, turned himself in Friday morning and will face a manslaughter charge. Police said Townsend was working as an on-duty security guard at Dodge’s Southern Style, a gas station and convenience store on 25th Avenue, when he allegedly beat Miller.

What led to the alleged assault is unclear. Police said they responded at 11:26 a.m. Nov. 28 to the gas station and believe Townsend hit Miller’s head “multiple times” with his fist. In a news release, authorities said Townsend kept assaulting Miller after he fell until others inside the gas station “intervened and pushed him off.”

Miller did not go to a hospital immediately, Switzer said. He began having problems a day or so later, according to the coroner, and first went to the Veteran’s Affairs hospital before being sent to Memorial. Memorial admitted him and did procedures to try to alleviate the injury.

“He continued to just get worse and worse,” Switzer said.

Gulfport Police Lt. Jason DuCré said detectives waited for Miller’s autopsy results before charging Townsend with manslaughter. An investigation eventually found Miller’s injuries “were caused from this assault,” DuCré said.

An obituary says Miller was in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident or Townsend’s whereabouts to contact the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.

This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 10:11 AM.