LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock police made two arrests Monday night in the murder of a southwest Little Rock man earlier that day.
Donte Davis, 20, of 1812 Reservoir Road and James Johnson, 19, of 9914 Carrie Lane were arrested after a traffic stop at the intersection of North Rodney Parham Road and Towne Oaks Drive about 9:30 p.m.
Th e two m e n we re charged with capital murder approximately 21 hours after Charles Gaskins, 50, was shot and killed on the porch of his trailer at 9500 South Heights Road.
According to police, Davis and Johnson approached Gaskins while he sat on his porch with a woman shortly after midnight and one of them brandished a gun in what police said was an attempted robbery.
The woman ran inside and slammed the door behind her, and reports said one of the suspects kept pushing the door in an effort to open it.
The woman, as well as other witnesses, said they heard two gunshots and, by the time police reached the scene, they had found Gaskins with gunshot wounds in his chest, hand and chin.
He was pronounced dead at his home.
According to arrest affidavits, a homicide detective got a call from a confidential source telling him that Davis and a man named “James” were involved in Gaskins’ slaying.
The source gave detectives a description of the two men’s vehicle, which the source said might still contain the murder weapons.
The affidavit said the source then notified the detective that the two men switched cars and got into a blue Chevrolet Malibu, which officers spotted on Asher Avenue.
Johnson and Davis got into another car, a gold Chevrolet Cavalier driven by an unidentified woman, police said.
It was unclear which of the men shot Gaskins.
During an interview, Davis gave a statement “implicating” himself and Johnson in Gaskins’ killing, police said.
Johnson did not give a statement, the affidavit said.
According to court records, a James Johnson with the same date of birth — July 17, 1993 — has an active parole absconder warrant out for his arrest.
The warrant was issued on July 5 after several missed appointments and parole violations, which accrued over several months after Johnson’s parole from prison in February.
Johnson was sentenced to serve a 5-year sentence in April 2011 after a negotiated guilty plea to a first-degree battery over an assault that occurred in November 2010 when Johnson shot another man in the eye.
Both Johnson and Davis are set to make their initial court appearances in Little Rock District Court this morning, court officials said.
Gaskins’ death marks the 30th homicide this year and was the 10th in July, making the month the deadliest in Little Rock since December 1993.
There were 37 homicides in all of 2011 and 28 homicides in 2010.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 08/01/2012