By Ray King
A third suspect will be charged in what police said were “gang related” shootings in September that resulted in the death of two people and injuries to a third.
Rashad Thompson, 17, will be held without bond on charges of two counts of capital murder, one count of first-degree battery, three counts of committing a terroristic act and three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle. He is being charged as an adult.
The allegations are the result of shooting incidents at 1704 S. Elm St., and No. 25 Needles Drives on Sept. 3 between 4:30 and 5 p.m. that resulted in the deaths of Emonya Moten and Kavon Mitchell, and injuries to Cedric LaPoole.
Reading from a lengthy probable cause affidavit from Detective Jason Boykin Friday, Deputy Prosecutor Jill Reed said the first shooting incident occurred at 1704 S. Elm and a witness reported seeing a male hanging out the window of a greenish-blue Chevrolet Malibu and firing shots toward the house.
Moten was killed at the scene and LaPoole was injured and taken to Jefferson Regional Hospital.
Police recovered multiple 7.62×39 spent shell casings and multiple Luger 9mm shell casings at the scene.
While police were working that scene, a second shooting was reported on Needles Drive and security video from a nearby house showed a greenish-blue Chevrolet Malibu pull up to the house followed by a blue Chevrolet impala which rammed the Malibu from behind. Occupants of both vehicles started shooting at Mitchell who was struck by bullets as he sat on his porch. The vehicles then sped away.
Reed said the owner of the blue Chevrolet Impala was located and told police she had loaned the car to Hekeryin Cain and when he returned it the vehicle had damage to the front end. Cain, 23, was arrested a few days later and is being held on multiple counts of capital murder and other offenses.
The owner of the car also told police that Bryant Smith, her boyfriend arrived and hid when police came to question her about the car. Smith, 33, was arrested in Kansas after he fled from Pine Bluff and is also being held without bond on multiple charges including capital murder.
The owner of the Chevrolet Malibu was located and interviewed said she had loaned the car to Smith, who had arrived at her house in the blue Impala with three other individuals, and she picked out a picture of Thompson as the person Smith had given the keys to her car to.
Reed said the suspects in the homicides, Cain, Smith and Thompson are known to be members or associates of the MOB gang while the victims in the shootings, Moten, Mitchell and LaPoole were known to be members of associates of the EBK/MG gang.
