Prosecutors are calling for the arrest of a North Little Rock murder suspect after learning police reported finding marijuana on him while investigating gunfire in Little Rock.
Typaris Rome Johnson, 22, was released on $450,000 bond with electronic monitoring in November but encountered police Feb. 22 in North Little Rock when officers stopped him because the white 2011 Dodge Charger he was driving matched the description of a car involved in two Little Rock shootings, according to police reports.
When Johnson got out of the car, he left the door open and officers could see a clear plastic bag holding apparent marijuana in the door panel, the report states. The suspected contraband weighed about 12 grams, a little bit less than an ounce, and Johnson received a misdemeanor citation that he is contesting in court.
Deputy prosecutor Erin Stroman petitioned Pulaski County Circuit Judge Leon Johnson on Wednesday to order Typaris Johnson's arrest, contending that the defendant has violated his bond conditions, which prohibit illegal drug possession. A decision by the judge is pending.
Typaris Johnson is one of two men accused of gunning down 58-year-old Allen Ray "Slim" McGuire in January 2018 in the living room of a mutual friend at The Summit at Velvet Ridge apartments at 5120 Velvet Ridge Road.
Authorities contend that Johnson and co-defendant Shaquan Markell Thompson shot the older man during an argument over a marijuana cigar.
Both men are charged with first-degree murder. Thompson, 21, stood trial in July 2019, which ended in mistrial with a hung jury. Thompson is free on $500,000 bond, awaiting retrial.
According to witness testimony, Johnson provoked the violence by pulling a gun but no one saw the shooting. The victim also pulled a gun but the weapon, found in his hand, had not been fired, and police collected two types of bullets from the scene.
The only witness to the encounter had seven children in the residence and fled with them through a bedroom window when Johnson drew his weapon, according to records.
Johnson has felony convictions from Garland County for fleeing and theft by receiving for a police pursuit in January 2017 while he was driving a stolen car and carrying a stolen gun. Johnson was awaiting trial on felony marijuana charges when he was arrested in the murder case.
Johnson's 14-year-old brother, Cyncere Alexander, was killed in Little Rock in July 2017 during a gang-related robbery that resulted in two men being sent to prison. Their father is 45-year-old Chris Alexander of Little Rock, who is now serving a 10-year sentence for federal marijuana and gun convictions.
Chris Alexander, a father of five, had portrayed himself as a reformed gang member and youth advocate, who through a Little Rock-endorsed program for teens was trying to help young people avoid the life of crime he had led.
But by the time Cyncere -- the youngest of his five children -- was killed, Alexander had been exposed as a marijuana dealer operating out of a Jacksonville storefront and a Little Rock carwash.