North Little Rock student says gun in backpack was defensive; others cite gang ties

A North Little Rock High School student arrested after a gun was found in his backpack had the weapon to protect himself because people had been shooting at him, and he's been feuding with another student, a teenager now charged with murder, a Pulaski County circuit judge was told Wednesday.

After hearing testimony about Kyrin Lebron's gang ties, Judge Leon Johnson denied the teen's petition to be tried in juvenile court.

Lebron, who did not testify, is charged with possession of a handgun by a minor on school property. He's been jailed since his February arrest about a week before turning 18 after an anonymous tip to school officials about the loaded weapon in his backpack.

It was his second arrest with a gun. He was charged as a juvenile with a misdemeanor weapons count last fall after an arrest in Little Rock. The case has yet to be resolved, which has kept Lebron from being able to participate in the full range of rehabilitative programs available in the juvenile justice system, his lawyer told the judge.

Attorney Jon Johnson said that a conviction on the gun charge would mean prison time, while juvenile court would give Lebron an opportunity for reform.

School officials who testified Thursday endorsed giving Lebron another chance, telling the judge he was a good kid who hadn't been in any trouble.

They told the judge Lebron was cooperative and remorseful about what he'd done. He was afraid someone would ambush him on his way to his car but did not say whom he was afraid of, they testified.

They also said that Lebron had some kind of ongoing dispute with fellow student Shaquan Thompson and some of his friends, although the nature of the disagreement wasn't clear.

Thompson is in jail now on a first-degree murder charge over accusations that he and another teen, Typaris Johnson, killed a 58-year-old man in January. Arrested in March, the two have not been formally charged.

Lebron's mother told the judge her son had been bullied at school and that his tormentors, who are all fellow schoolmates, had shot up her sister's home to get at him.

"There were guys after him, actually shooting," Namono Pippins testified, saying she's been threatened as well.

The dispute was over "stuff on Facebook," she testified. Pippins said she doesn't use social media but relies on relatives to monitor her son's page. She said she's made him remove posts previously.

Pippins said she hasn't had a reason to believe her son is in a gang. She told the judge she did not know how her son got the gun found at school. She said she would not tolerate him having a weapon. His prior gun arrest involved a weapon found in a car driven by his cousin, in which Lebron was a passenger, she said.

Police believe Lebron to be a gang member, but the judge appeared skeptical because investigators' assumptions were based on who some of the teen's friends are.

Then, deputy prosecutor Lauren Eldridge showed the judge photographs from the teen's Facebook page that showed Lebron posing with guns and other young men, at least some of whom are known to police as gang members. Eldridge also played about a minute of a YouTube music video that included Lebron.

The display sparked an angry response in the judge, who told Lebron he could see that the teen was putting himself in danger.

"I know what this is," the judge said, his voice rising. "When I saw this, it was enough to scare me."

He accused Lebron of deceiving his mother about what was really going on in his life.

"They might be bullying you, but there's a reason. I don't know what it is and I'm not going to speculate," the judge said. "You better tell your mother what's going on. You owe her that. Quit lying to her!"

North Little Rock police officer Ryan Davidson told the judge he "absolutely" believes that Lebron is in a gang because of whom he associates with.

The eight-year veteran is part of the department's special enforcement team that tracks gang members and violent offenders. Assigned to the federal task force convened to investigate gang activity in the Little Rock area, Davidson said Facebook photos show the teen posing with guns, including an AK-47.

Lebron associates with members of a North Little Rock offshoot of the Southside Piru, who call themselves the Gutta Boy gang, Davidson testified. One of them is Lebron's cousin, Davidson testified. In Little Rock, the group is known as Murder Mob, Davidson told the judge.

There has been an ongoing feud between the Gutta Boys and another gang, New Money New Nature, since January, about the time when North Little Rock police fatally shot a New Money New Nature member, 17-year-old Charles Edward "CJ" Smith Jr. The North Little Rock High School student was shot after he fired a gun at officers who had found the gun on him during a traffic stop on the car in which he was riding.

The dispute between the groups has included a "rolling gun battle" down Camp Robinson Road in January, Davidson told the judge.

But gang members rarely try to settle their differences at school, preferring late-night encounters at remote locations, he said.

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Metro on 04/29/2018

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