A 15-year-old Little Rock girl is dead after what police said was an ongoing “friendly” prank war between a group of teenagers and at least one other teenager escalated into gunshots from a parent early Saturday morning, police said.
After suspecting seven teenagers of pelting his car with eggs, mayonnaise, leaves and toilet paper, a 48-year-old man shot “multiple” times at the teenagers as they sat piled into a Hyundai Sonata outside his house, striking Adrian Broadway in the head and killing her, police spokesman Lt. Sidney Allen said.
Dshone Nelson, 18, driver of the car, suffered minor lacerations on his arms from a bullet-shattered car window. Nelson was taken to Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock for treatment of his injuries.
Willie Noble of 7211 Skylark Drive has been charged with first-degree murder, one count of a terroristic act in Nelson’s injuries and five counts of aggravated assault for shooting at the other teenagers, Allen said. Noble is the father of a teenager on the other side of the prank war, Allen said.
The whereabouts of Noble’s son at the time of the shooting were unknown Saturday afternoon. No one responded to a knock at the door of the Noble residence Saturday afternoon. His cousin, James Burnside,who has lived across the street for three years, said the family wasn’t home because they were trying to avoid the media.
Allen said the prank war between the seven teenagers and Noble’s son started on Halloween, but he didn’t know who started it. He said the police’s “cursory understanding” was that it was ongoing and friendly. The Noble residence wasn’t the teens’ only target. There was dried egg yolk on Burnside’s carport Saturday afternoon and a white, floury powder on his car. Burnside said two other homes and multiple vehicles on the street had also been pelted with eggs, although those neighbors declined to comment.
Burnside said he doesn’t believe his cousin meant to harm anyone and that given the time of night - police received a call about the shooting just before 1 a.m. - Noble was likely half-asleep and frightened by the noises. Noble’s home was burglarized three weeks ago, Burnside said.
“I think it’s something that just went wrong,” he said of the slaying. “[Noble] ain’t never been in trouble. He’s a father.”
At 12:53 a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the Kum & Go station at 7620 Baseline Road, where the teenagers had driven the car to get help, police said.
Police found Broadway unresponsive with a gunshot wound in her head. Emergency responders transferred Broadway to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at an unknown time.
Earlier in the night, according to a preliminary summary given to Allen, Noble woke up, noticed that his property had been vandalized and waited for the teenagers to return.
After the teenagers returned, Noble began shooting at the car. His next-door neighbor, Larry Richardson, said he heard about four shots and when he and his mother looked out the window, they saw “a man with a gun.”
Four 15-year-olds, including Broadway; a 17-year-old; and a 14-year-old were the passengers. Some were not identified by police because of their ages.
Allen said he did not know whether the teenagers would be charged with vandalism.
“Right now, we’re more focused on the homicide,” he said.
The killing on Little Rock’s southwest side is the city’s ninth homicide this year, Allen said, including 77-year-old James Bledsoe, who was shot multiple times Nov. 2. Bledsoe died Jan. 19, and his grandson, Justin, was charged with first-degree murder in his death Jan. 31.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 02/16/2014