Authorities say the death of a Florence man who was found outside a town bar is being considered suspicious, leaving his family with many unanswered questions.

These photos of 35 year old John Connell are all the more precious now. His family has glanced at them often since his death over the weekend. Connell was pronounced dead at Cooley Dickinson Hospital Saturday hours after he was attacked at the Silk City Tap Room, located behind the Miss Florence Diner.

Northampton Police say Connell got into an altercation with another man at the bar earlier that night. Then around 2am, another patron found Connell bleeding in the parking lot. An autopsy showed hel suffered visible trauma to his head.

Florence resident Douglas Loux said, "It's really a surprise to hear that because we're a small town and we try to stay away from big city problems."

Connell's family in Florence is still too upset to speak on camera, but invited us into their home to share memories of their son. Connell had just returned from Florida 3 weeks ago where he had been spending time with his young son and daughter.

Connell's family says he was a friendly community oriented kind of guy, in fact he was a volunteer firefighter here at the Williamsburg fire department for over 15 years.

In fact Connell's good friends at the Williamsburg Fire Department will also be the pallbearers during his funeral.

Connell's family says if he wasn't volunteering, you could find him cooking. He operated a concession stand called "Jacks Fries" at the Big E and local fairs. For family, friends and Florence itself, the suspicious death is a big loss.

Leeds resident Steven Retchin said, "It's always unfortunate when somebody gets hurt or killed like that."

The Northwestern District Attorney's office says at this time the incident is still under investigation. Northampton police say they have identified the man Connell fought with earlier that night but no arrests have been made.