New information obtained by Deltaplex News is raising additional questions about the Nov. 21 fatal officer-involved shooting of Jeremy Lawrence Jr., 23, in Pine Bluff, including conflicting accounts about whether Lawrence fired at officers before he was shot.
Pine Bluff police initially reported that officers exchanged gunfire with a suspect around 10:30 p.m. near 27th Avenue and Maple Street after a vehicle pursuit. Hours later, the department reversed course, saying it was “now undetermined if the suspect fired a weapon at this time,” according to a revised statement issued by Public Information Officer Deshawn Bennett.
But one officer’s written account contradicts that position.
Officer Richard Carreno stated in his narrative that Lawrence, who fled from the rear passenger seat of a blue SUV during the pursuit.
“As a vehicle approached the homes, the unidentified male began to fire numerous rounds, presumably at the approaching officers,” Carreno said in his statement “A few seconds later, officers began returning fire as gunshots were exchanged behind the house. While continuing to hold the other two individuals inside of the vehicle at gunpoint, I observed the suspect flee south across West 27th Avenue with a pistol in his hand as officers pursued close behind. As the suspect fled behind homes on the south side of the street, more rounds were fired. Officer Johnson began to ask for medical assistance. I grabbed a medical kit from my unit and ran towards the area where the officers were.”
Several other officers reported hearing gunfire during the chase, though not all said they saw Lawrence shooting.
Lt. Jeremy Brown wrote that he saw Lawrence running with a gun in his hand after the SUV stopped at 1803 W. 27th Ave. Brown said he heard gunfire as Lawrence moved behind a residence. Despite that, Pine Bluff police said the next day in Bennett’s statement that they could not confirm whether Lawrence fired a weapon and referred all questions to Arkansas State Police, which is leading the investigation.
Leading up to the incident Officers Carreno and Keenan Dickson were assisting on a domestic call when they heard gunfire to the south. Officer Derek Johnson began checking the area near West 32nd Avenue and South Plum Street, where spent casings were found. Moments later, a blue SUV entered the area where officers were working.
Carreno said officers ordered the driver to stop, but the vehicle fled and led police on a chase through several streets, reaching more than 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. At one point, a rear passenger door opened as if someone was preparing to jump, but it closed again as the SUV accelerated.
The SUV eventually stopped on West 27th Avenue, and Lawrence fled on foot. Officers Brown and Carreno said he was armed as he ran between homes on the north side of the street. Carreno later reported seeing Lawrence running across West 27th Avenue with a pistol in his hand while gunfire continued behind the houses.
Lawrence collapsed in a backyard on 28th Avenue after being struck by multiple rounds in his legs and lower body. Officers Johnson, Jesse Smith, J.L. Williams and Corey Lowery applied tourniquets before paramedics arrived. Lawrence was taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The SUV’s driver, Quinton Washington, 21, and passenger Jerry Pitts, 18, were taken into custody at the scene. Washington remained jailed Tuesday on suspicion of fleeing. Pitts did not appear in the jail roster.
Sergeant Chris Wieland wrote that the officers involved turned over their gun belts as evidence. Wieland signed chain-of-custody forms and transferred the belts to State Police investigators. He also noted that Lowery had blood on him from rendering aid to Lawrence, and police photographed Lowery as part of the investigation.
Arkansas State Police issued a statement on Nov. 22 confirming that Lawrence fled from a traffic stop and was shot by officers during the pursuit. That statement was released after Pine Bluff police said it was undetermined whether Lawrence had fired a weapon.
State Police said the case file will be turned over to the Jefferson County prosecuting attorney, who will determine whether the officers’ use of force complied with state law. A State Police spokesperson said no further information will be released until the investigation is complete.
Officers Johnson, Williams and Lowery have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the State Police investigation and an internal review, a city official said.
The shooting has shaken residents in the Pine Bluff neighborhood, where the chase and gunfire unfolded late on a Friday night. Conflicting statements about whether Lawrence fired at officers have intensified calls for transparency as the investigation continues.
