Man, 25, charged in shooting at local apartment complex

Prosecutors in Miller County have formally charged a Texarkana man accused of shooting the boyfriend of his child's mother at an Arkansas-side apartment complex in mid-December.

Denetre Otice Johnson, 25, allegedly had been threatening Danyon Noble for a couple of months before Noble was shot twice in the leg Dec. 15 on the grounds of the Willows Apartments on East 35th Street, according to a search warrant affidavit used to create the following account. 

The mother of Johnson's child told investigators she believed before the shooting that she, Johnson and Noble were at peace.

A 10-year-old boy who was talking to Noble on a stairway before the bullets began to fly told investigators two men with guns walked up and made a threatening comment.

"(The child witness) said that Noble took off up the stairs while yelling, 'Get down little man,'" the affidavit states.

The boy told investigators he "got down" as Noble directed, seeking refuge in his own apartment when the shooting stopped.

Noble was allegedly able to identify Johnson as the person who shot him. Investigators acquired a search warrant for Johnson's cellphone in hopes of identifying the second man described by the young witness.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell signed off on charges of battery and aggravated assault against Johnson last week. The battery charge concerns the gunshot injuries to Noble's leg. The offense is punishable by five to 20 years in prison. The aggravated assault charges concern the risk at which Noble and the 10-year-old were put when Johnson allegedly began firing.

Johnson is being held in the Miller County jail. Bail is set at $500,000.

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