A 24-year-old Little Rock man who fatally shot another man outside a downtown funeral home then led police on a pursuit and stopped only when law officers rammed his car has accepted a 30-year prison sentence.
Court records show Kameron Bernard Carpenter pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder, fleeing, criminal mischief and two counts of aggravated assault in exchange for the 30-year term imposed by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Karen Whatley.
Carpenter was arrested shortly after the June 2020 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Aaren Michael Daniels outside the Paradise Funeral Home, 206 S. Cross St. Police reports show Carpenter led 10 police pursuers from five agencies, including the National Guard, on a chase through downtown Little Rock that came to an end when a highway patrolman rammed Carpenter's car at Fourth and Chester streets, just short of the Interstate 630 exit.
Investigators seized a .40-caliber Glock pistol from the car and collected from the scene 10 .40-caliber shell casings and two 9mm casings. Daniels was shot six times.
Police were able to muster so many officers so quickly because of the extended law-enforcement presence in the area due to ongoing protests related to the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis. Some of the responding officers were so close they had heard the gunfire.
Carpenter and Daniels had been at the funeral home at the intersection of Cross and Second streets to attend the wake of a mutual friend, 22-year-old Keshun Clemmons, according to police reports.
Another friend of Carpenter's, 22-year-old Taylor Jordan Forrest of North Little Rock, told police Carpenter and Daniels had briefly argued just before Forrest, with Carpenter along, started to drive from the funeral home. He said someone reached into the car through the window across him to hit Carpenter.
He said Daniels came around the back of the car to the passenger side when Carpenter started shooting at him. Forrest said he jumped out of the car and ran, with Carpenter taking the car and leaving.
Another witness, Whitney Bazelle, 23, of Little Rock, told police she was in another car when she saw Daniels punch Carpenter, who then pulled out a gun and started shooting, striking Daniels as bullets also twice hit the car she was in with 23-year-old Jyree Neal of Little Rock.
Police also had evidence that the men had feuded before. In November 2019, Daniels reported receiving death threats from Carpenter, some through text messages and another in a video that shows Carpenter pointing a rifle at the camera stating he was going to shoot Daniels.
About a week later, Carpenter accused Daniels of burglarizing his home to steal $600. The next day, Daniels told police that Carpenter had shot at his car as Daniels drove on Reservoir Road. Investigators collected five rifle casings from the area, but none of the men's complaints ever resulted in an arrest.
A second car that fled the funeral home was stopped on Interstate 630 by state troopers using a controlled ramming maneuver, the precision immobilization technique, with the driver, Elliot Von Ray, 24, of Little Rock, brought in for questioning, police reports show.
In an interview with detectives, Ray, who is Carpenter's cousin, said he had been at the wake as well. He told investigators the gunfire started just after Forrest and Carpenter drove by him, saying he heard Carpenter firing shots.
When a bullet flew past him, Ray said he fired a shot in the air with his 9mm Glock, striking the funeral home, stating that he fired the gun to show his cousin that he was not scared. Ray was subsequently charged with three counts of aggravated assault against Bazelle, Neal and Daniels, with his trial scheduled for March.