By Ray King
Two White Hall men were arrested Sunday following a shooting at an apartment complex near the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff campus.
Keelan Parker, 25, and Demond Mayzes, 19, were taken into custody after a search of the area and were wearing clothing that matched descriptions given by witnesses.
During a court hearing Tuesday, Deputy Prosecutor Mircha King said at about 5:20 p.m., police responded to the Piney Woods Apartments at 3200 Woodgate Drive in response to a reported shooting.
Reading from an affidavit from Detective Chris Wieland, King said police found a male slumped over the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head and found five spent 25-caliber shell casings.
King said police at the scene then talked to two witnesses.
That witness gave the police a description of the clothing the men were wearing.
Police and deputies located Parker and Mayzes and took them to the Detective’s Office where they were read their rights. When Mayzes was questioned, he said he and Keko had gone to the apartments to trade a gun and got into the back seat of the victim’s car. He said the driver pulled out an AR rifle and said he was going to shoot it. Mayzes said he got out of the vehicle, gunshots were exchanged and he heard five shots.
When Parker was questioned, he said he was at the laundromat and didn’t know what anyone was talking about.
King said the victim is at UAMS and struggling for his life.
Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set a $500,000 bond for Parker and Mayzes after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge them with attempted capital murder and aggravated robbery. They were ordered to have no contact with the victim until the case was settled.
