By Ray King
A Pine Bluff man was arrested Sunday morning after he allegedly fired shots into the air outside a nightclub where a fatal shooting also occurred.
Karreair Griffin, 32, was taken into custody after police stopped a vehicle driven by Griffin’s brother, Javian Griffin, 35, that drove away from the parking lot of the Spot nightclub at 5th Avenue and Pine Street at about 3:30 a.m.
During a court hearing Tuesday, Deputy Prosecutor Caleb Conrad said responded to a report of shots fired and when they arrived found a number of cars in the street and a crowd of people standing around. A security guard told police that people in a white Toyota had been shooting and officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, which was driven by Javian Griffin.
Conrad said Javian Griffin and Karreair Griffin refused to get out of the vehicle and Javian Griffin drove away, with police conducting a second traffic stop and taking both men into custody.
When Karreair Griffin was interviewed, he waived his right to an attorney and gave the following statement which Conrad read to the court.
Pine Bluff District Judge John Kearney set a $25,000 bond for Karreair Griffin after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge him with aggravated assault. Javian Griffin was released pending further investigation.
The victim of the homicide, Tyler Rodgers, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene. That case is still under investigation and no arrests have been made as yet.
