BLYTHEVILLE -- Three suspects are in jail after being charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a Blytheville man on Memorial Day, 2nd Judicial Circuit Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington said Thursday.
Police accused the three suspects of fatally shooting Richard Wilkins Jr., 28, in Williams Park in south-central Blytheville during an altercation about 8:30 p.m. Monday. He was shot in the right pelvic area, police said. Wilkins was taken by private vehicle to Great River Medical Center in Blytheville, where he died.
Quadrell Dequane Bledsoe, 22, and Gerome Spiller, 16, both of Blytheville, surrendered to police Tuesday. Cameron Wells, 18, of Blytheville turned himself over to authorities Wednesday.
Osceola District Court Judge Donald Betterton set bail of $500,000 for Wells, $250,000 for Bledsoe and $100,000 for Spiller, who will be tried as an adult, Ellington said.
Wells also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a certain person, Ellington said.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in Mississippi County Circuit Court, Wilkins was not the intended victim of the shooting. Capt. Scott Adams, commander of the Blytheville Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, said the three suspects had been "having problems" with Renaldre Harris, Wilkins' brother, for a month.
Harris told police the three confronted him at Williams Park on Monday evening and Spiller pointed a handgun at him. Harris told Spiller he "don't get down with guns" and Spiller threw the gun on the ground and began to fight Harris, Adams said in the affidavit.
Harris said Wells and Bledsoe joined in the fight and Harris was knocked to the ground. Harris told police he saw Wells pick up Spiller's weapon, point it when Wilkins jumped on top of him and then fire the weapon, Adams said in the affidavit.
"... after the gun went off everyone ran," Adams said Harris told him in the affidavit. "... they then realized Wilkins had been shot and rushed him to the hospital."
Harris identified a photograph of Wells as the person who fired the gun, Adams said in the affidavit.
The three suspects remain in the Mississippi County jail in Luxora.
State Desk on 06/02/2017