A Little Rock man who told police that he accidentally shot his brother in the head Sunday during an argument over money for the care of their mother was charged with murder Tuesday, according to arrest reports and a media release.
Police officers responding to a 911 call and a ShotSpotter activation Sunday said George Williams, 60, shot his older brother, 69-year-old Lavernal Williams, police spokesman Eric Barnes said.
Investigators upgraded George David Williams' first-degree domestic battery charge to second-degree murder after Lavernal Williams died at 6:41 p.m. Monday at UAMS Medical Center, Barnes said Tuesday in a news release.
A woman called 911 at approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, but Barnes said the line was silent. Officers responded to 3521 Maryland Ave., where the call was from, and on the way over, police communications received a ShotSpotter activation in the area, according to a police report.
ShotSpotter is a detection system that uses sensors to recognize and locate gunfire. The Little Rock Police Department's ShotSpotter was installed on Dec. 19, and it currently covers a 2-square-mile area of the city.
[RELATED: Click here for interactive map + full coverage of crime in Little Rock]
When officers arrived, they found George Williams and Lavernal Williams, who had been shot in his head, the report said. George and Lavernal Williams' sister, who originally called 911, was also at the residence, along with several other people, authorities said.
An ambulance took Lavernal Williams to UAMS Medical Center, and officers began interviewing people at the little white house at the corner of Maryland Avenue and South Valentine Street, Barnes said. While police spoke with people at the scene, George Williams walked up to officers and said, "I did it, I accidentally shot him," the report said.
Witnesses later told police that the Williams brothers were fighting over money for their mother's care and that Lavernal Williams picked up a rock before he was shot, according to an arrest report.
The report said the sister tried to break up the fight before George Williams fired the .40-caliber Smith & Wesson gun, striking Lavernal Williams in the head.
George Williams refused to talk to investigators about the shooting, an arrest report said.
Neither of the Williams brothers had any violent criminal history, according to court records.
George Williams was in the Pulaski County jail without bond Tuesday.
Lavernal Williams' death is the 16th homicide this year in Little Rock, and it's the city's fourth domestic violence slaying in 2019.
Metro on 05/08/2019