Teen in custody for firing shots at four in vehicle

CARUTHERSVILLE - A 17-year-old, suspected of chasing down and shooting into an occupied car, is in custody.

At about 6:30 p.m. Friday, Caruthersville Police responded to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of East 12th Street. According to a release from Police Chief Chris Riggs, officers interviewed several people in a large crowd gathered at the scene.

Searching the area, officer located the vehicle, which was occupied by Dartrelle Bell, 19, and Darius Laster, 22, of Oklahoma City, and two 15-year-

olds. They told officers the assailant had stopped their vehicle and had wanted to fight one of the juveniles but they had driven off to prevent a confrontation.

The men said when they pulled their vehicle into the parking lot of a local business, the 17-year-old again approached the vehicle, this time with a large crowd.

"Officers were advised the 17-year-old black male pulled out a firearm and began firing into the vehicle, barely missing the two subjects in the front and the two subjects in the rear with the rounds," according to the police report.

A short time later the 17-year-old was taken into custody and is being held in the Pemiscot County Jail pending the filing of formal charges. A firearm, believed to have been used in the incident, was recovered.

In an apparently related incident at about 9:10 p.m. Friday, Laster and Bell were arrested after a complaint was signed on them alleging the pair had threatened to shoot residents of a house on Walker Street and used profanity.

The pair were taken to the Pemiscot County Jail where they posted a $122.50 bond each and were released.