Little Rock man accused in killing of man found dead in alley

Dupree Omar Charmonte Boatner
Dupree Omar Charmonte Boatner

A 21-year-old man is accused of killing a homeless man whose body was found in an alleyway Saturday night, Little Rock police said.

The investigation began when a group of children told an adult they had found someone bleeding in an alleyway in the 600 block of West 24th Street.

Little Rock homicides Aug. 12-13

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When officers arrived around 6:30 p.m., they found the body of Allen Sims between Arch Street and Gaines Street. The 54-year-old was lying in the grass beside a brick wall and appeared to have died from trauma to the head, according to a news release.

Officer Steve Moore said Sims had likely been in the alley for a few hours. The death was clearly a homicide, he said, but investigators didn't yet know whether the cause of death was a gunshot or blunt force.

Lt. Steve McClanahan said officers identified Dupree Omar Charmonte Boatner as a suspect based on evidence at the scene of the crime and interviews with witnesses. They found him while canvasing the area and took him to the Pulaski County jail, where he was booked in at 2:08 a.m.

Boatner, who is from Little Rock, faces charges of first-degree murder and failure to appear. He is being held without bail.

The homicide is one of 41 in the city so far this year.

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