Crime & Safety

Man Dies After Fight In Menards Parking Lot: Police

Police say a 78-year-old man died at a local hospital after a fight started over a parking issue in a Menards parking lot.

Matthew Kinstler has been booked on a homicide charge.
Matthew Kinstler has been booked on a homicide charge. (La Crosse County Jail Booking Photo)

LA CROSSE, WI — A 50-year-old La Crosse man has been arrested and booked on a homicide charge after authorities say he fought a man in a Wisconsin Menards parking lot over an apparent parking issue.

According to La Crosse police, officers were sent to the Menards on Lang Drive in La Crosse just after 2:30 p.m. on Friday on a report of a fight between two men.

Police say Matthew Kinstler, 50, became upset that a man who parked next to him, identified as 79-year-old Russell Paulson, parked too close to his car.

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Police said an argument between the two men turned into a fight, and Paulson was injured. According to police, Paulson was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.

According to online court records, Kinstler is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on suspicion of first-degree reckless homicide.

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