New information obtained by Deltaplex News reveals that a man fatally shot by Pine Bluff police on Nov. 21 had threatened to kill officers days earlier, and that law enforcement accounts conflict over whether he fired at police during the deadly encounter.
A Pine Bluff Police Department information report shows that on Nov. 19 — two days before the shooting — officers responded to a call about a man carrying an AR-15–style rifle outside a home on Howard Drive. When officers arrived, they identified the man as 23-year-old Jeremy Lawrence Jr.
Officers took cover and ordered Lawrence to drop the weapon, but he reportedly ignored commands and walked around the residence holding the rifle. While officers attempted to locate him, the homeowner, LaShunda Charles, told police she would grant access to the property and informed them that Lawrence had recently threatened to kill police officers, according to the report. Officers were unable to locate Lawrence during that call.
Two days later, Lawrence was shot and killed by officers after a pursuit that began near West 32nd Avenue, where officers had been investigating unrelated gunfire.
According to multiple police narratives, a blue SUV entered the area as officers were searching for shell casings. Officers ordered the driver to stop, but the vehicle fled at speeds exceeding 50 mph in a 35 mph zone.
The SUV stopped on West 27th Avenue, where Lawrence fled on foot from the rear passenger seat.
What happened next remains a central point of dispute.
Pine Bluff police initially said officers and Lawrence exchanged gunfire, but hours later the department reversed course, issuing a statement saying it was “undetermined” whether Lawrence fired at officers. The department then referred all questions to Arkansas State Police, which is leading the investigation.
However, Officer Richard Carreno wrote in his official report that Lawrence began “firing numerous rounds, presumably at the approaching officers” as they arrived at the home where the SUV stopped. Carreno said officers returned fire as the chase moved behind houses along West 27th Avenue, and that he later saw Lawrence cross the road with a pistol still in his hand as shots continued behind the homes.
Several other officers reported hearing gunfire, though not all said they saw Lawrence shoot.
Lt. Jeremy Brown wrote that he saw Lawrence running with a gun in his hand after fleeing the vehicle and heard gunfire as Lawrence moved behind a residence. Brown did not state that he witnessed Lawrence firing.
As the chase continued, Lawrence collapsed in a backyard on West 28th Avenue after being struck multiple times in the legs and lower body. Officers applied tourniquets before paramedics transported him to Jefferson Regional Medical Center, where he later died.
The SUV’s driver, Quinton Washington, 21, remained jailed Wednesday on suspicion of fleeing. Another passenger, Jerry Pitts, 18, was taken into custody but did not appear in the jail roster.
Sgt. Chris Wieland, who processed evidence at the scene, wrote that officers involved in the shooting surrendered their gun belts, which were turned over to State Police. Wieland also reported that Officer Corey Lowery had blood on him from rendering aid, and investigators documented the contamination as part of the evidence collection.
Arkansas State Police confirmed on Nov. 22 that Lawrence fled from a traffic stop and was shot by police during the pursuit, but the agency has not commented on whether Lawrence fired a weapon.
The case file will be forwarded to the Jefferson County prosecuting attorney to determine whether the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified.
Officers Derek Johnson, J.L. Williams and Lowery have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and an internal review, a city official confirmed.
