Shots fired, weapons seized at WM residence

Police confiscate firearms, arrest suspect after weekend violence

news@theeveningtimes.com

Two occupants of a West Madison Street residence narrowly escaped being shot several times Friday night by a gunman standing outside their home, Assistant West Memphis Police Chief Robert Langston said.

Langston said shortly after the shooting officers took into custody a man identified as Anthony Lejavion Bass, 19, of West Memphis. He was charged with two counts of terroristic act, shooting at a structure with the purpose to injure or damage property.

Both charges are a felony, Langston said.

It all began when police received an emergency call shortly after 8 p.m. Friday in reference to shots being fired in the area of Jackson and Redding Streets.

Upon arrival officers made contact with one of the occupants of the home who said he was sitting in his living room watching television when he heard several gun shots being fired from somewhere on the north side of the house.

As the man was sitting on the couch he saw two bullets enter the room and strike the north wall, causing drywall to fly everywhere.

The second occupant of the house said he was in his bedroom at the time and also told officers he heard several shots being fired.

While inspecting the outside of the house, officers observed one of the bullets had struck the northeast wall of the dwelling as well as damage to a nearby fence.

Detectives on the scene walking north in the direction of where the shots were thought to have been fired found a large grouping of spent gun shell casings, eleven .300 blackout caliber and fifty .40 caliber casings on the south side of the Foxwood Cove dwelling.

Langston said while detectives were searching for shell casings they noticed that a Silverado pickup truck that had been parked in the driveway at 716 Foxwood Cove was gone.

Other officers patrolling the immediate area noticed the vehicle traveling south on Avalon and turn into a West Broadway convenience store. Langston said officers approached the vehicle and came in contact with two occupants who were advised of the situation and asked if there were any weapons in the vehicle. Officers were told there were no weapons in the vehicle but during a consent search officers located a Smith and Wesson M& P semi-auto 9 mm pistol between the driver’s seat and the console.

Both occupants told officers they had no knowledge that the firearm was in the vehicle and did not know where it came from.

Upon further questioning officers were told of a possible suspect, later identified as Bass, and were told that there were several guns inside the Foxwood Street residence. Neither occupant of the vehicle were charged.

During a consent search of the 716 Foxwood Cove residence officers located an American Tactical AR-15 auto pistol, a S& W SD .40 semi-auto pistol, a Romarm/Cugir mini Draco caliber pistol as well as a Hawk 12-gauge pump shotgun.

Officers determined that one of the recovered weapons was the one used in the shooting of the West Madison Street residence.

During the search of the house a man, later identified as Bass, walked on the scene at which time he was immediately taken into custody, transported to the Crittenden County Detention Center where he was charged with the two felony counts.