38-year-old Florim USA employee Christopher Curtis Gore had an altercation with a co-worker, Omar Velez-Rivera, on June 14th. Officers were called to Tennova ER, where they spoke with Velez-Rivera, who explained that he exchanged words with Gore while working, to which Gore responded by telling him to step outside and fight him. Then, after the end of their shift, Gore confronted him in the parking lot, and when Velez-Rivera put his belongings on the ground, Gore slapped and punched him in the face. Velez-Rivera was knocked to the ground, and Gore continued attacking him, placing his hand around his throat. Velez-Rivera stated, “I was in fear of being choked out,” but could not defend himself because Gore was pinning him. When officers spoke with Gore over the phone, he denied anything happening when he left work. A witness, Ariel Rice, informed officers that she recorded the incident. Gore was later taken into custody for aggravated assault.
