A shouting match escalated into gunfire Saturday night, ending with the murder of a 16-year-old boy. His suspected killer is in jail. North Little Rock police arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the shooting death. It wasn't too hard for authorities to apprehend the suspect.
Darren Davis is in jail with no bond. Officers say after a deadly shooting in North Little Rock Saturday, he surrendered to officers at the detectives division. Community activists say it should have never gotten this far.
A Washington Avenue home was the scene of a deadly shooting just before 6:30 Saturday evening.
"Just upsets me knowing another life has been taken, senseless," said Rev. Benny Johnson of Stop the Violence.
Police say two groups of people got into a fight outside of the home. Investigators say Darren Jamal Davis pulled a gun and shot Xavier Williams. He was rushed to Children's Hospital. He died after surgery.
"The person hasn't even lived out his life, haven't lived out half of his life," Johnson said.
The shooting happened while Johnson is holding youth revivals to steer people away from crime.
"Misunderstandings. Persons getting into an argument, it doesn't take much for a person to kill somebody,” he notices.
As of Sunday evening over 200 people had joined a Facebook group in Williams' memory. His friends tell us he's also known as “PJ.”
"We can help put an end to this madness going on,” Johnson says.
And with summer approaching, "get the kids involved in something constructive. The old saying ‘an idle mind is a devil's workshop.’ If a kid doesn't have anything to do, they might get to hanging out and they will hang out with the wrong persons,” Johnson said.
Seventeen-year-old Jarvis Washington says he's known Williams for several years. He said he heard the gunshots ring out Saturday night. When he realized it was his friend, he said, "They didn't have to shoot him like that."
Darren Jamal Davis is charged with one count of first degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault. This is the 4th homicide in North Little Rock this year. Last year, North Little Rock had 9 homicides.
