Trial dates change for suspects in fatal drive-by shooting in Ashdown

Three of the four suspects in a fatal drive-by shooting—from left, Joshua King, 20; Brady Winship,19; and Tenescha Wilkerson, 18—appeared Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Little River County Circuit Court in Ashdown, Ark., to hear charges in connection with the death of Desmond Smith, 19, of Ashdown. The fourth suspect is a juvenile.
Three of the four suspects in a fatal drive-by shooting—from left, Joshua King, 20; Brady Winship,19; and Tenescha Wilkerson, 18—appeared Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Little River County Circuit Court in Ashdown, Ark., to hear charges in connection with the death of Desmond Smith, 19, of Ashdown. The fourth suspect is a juvenile.

Trial dates have been changed for three adult suspects accused in a fatal drive-by shooting in Ashdown, Ark.

Joshua King, 20, Brady Winship, 19, and Tenescha Wilkerson, 18, all of Sevier County, Ark., have been charged with the July 16, 2017, shooting.

Desmond Smith, 19, died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Samari Covington, 19, was wounded in the arm but has recovered.

King and Winship are scheduled to have a pretrial hearing Tuesday in the Little River County Courthouse. The trial date for King is set for March 12-13.

Winship is scheduled for a trial date of May 13.

Wilkerson has a pretrial date of May 1 and a trial date of May 21.

The charges include:

  •  King-murder in the second degree, battery in the first degree and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle
  •  Winship-accomplice to murder in the second degree, battery in the first degree and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle
  •  Wilkerson-accomplice to murder in the second degree, battery in the first degree and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle

A juvenile was also charged as an accomplice. Information regarding the juvenile was not released.

Ashdown police were dispatched to a home at 195 Washington St. about 1 a.m. July 16 regarding a shooting.

According to initial reports, several people in a red Dodge Charger drove by the home looking for someone.

All four suspects said during interviews that King wanted to stop at the house so they could fight, according to the arrest affadavit. Winship allegedly drove the vehicle to the Davis residence to fight.

Several people came out of the Davis residence and were frightened by the group. At least two suspects reportedly said that King fired a weapon at the group from the vehicle as Winship was driving away.

An officer recovered a 9 mm shell casing at the scene and notified the surrounding law enforcement agencies.

The suspected vehicle was stopped by Sevier County Sheriff's Office deputies and a De Queen police officer several hours later near De Queen.

The four occupants of the car were taken into custody without incident.

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