An El Dorado man who had been wanted for allegedly shooting two men at a local nightclub, killing one and seriously wounding the other, is now in custody and is expected to make his first appearance Wednesday in 35th Judicial District Court.
Corey D. Tate, 44, who gave an address of 6131 Junction City Highway, turned himself in to El Dorado police Monday afternoon on an arrest warrant in connection to the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Brandon M. Sanders.
Tate is also accused of shooting Casey Frazier, who remained hospitalized Monday in Little Rock with serious injuries, in an incident that occurred early Sunday morning at The Brick House, 1814 Junction City.
Police were called to the scene at 3:30 a.m. Sunday in reference to shots fired, and upon arrival, they found two men, later identified as Sanders and Frazier, with gunshot wounds in the parking lot.
Both were transported by ambulance to Medical Center of South Arkansas, where Sanders succumbed to his injuries.
Frazier was airlifted to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock for further treatment.
Capt. Kevin Holt, public information officer for the El Dorado Police Department, said Frazier remained hospitalized Monday, and investigators were working to get an update on his condition.
Sanders’ body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, also in Little Rock, for an autopsy, Holt said
Tate was identified as a suspect in the shooting, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a certain person and a felon in possession of a firearm.
Holt said Tate arrived at EPD headquarters at approximately 2:30 p.m. Monday and surrendered himself.
Tate was accompanied by his attorney, Gary McDonald, Holt said.
Tate was booked into the Union County Jail, where he is being held without bond until his first appearance in district court.
Holt said an argument began inside The Brick House, spilled into the parking lot and escalated.
Detectives have not yet determined how the argument started or who was involved when it began, Holt said.
“We’re still working on that. We’re still interviewing folks who were at the business that night and compiling the night’s events,” he said.
“When you get these kinds of calls, and you have multiple people in the area, you don’t know who was actually involved or who started it,” he continued. “We don’t know if the two victims here were involved or if they were bystanders who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He said Sanders, who formerly lived in El Dorado, had moved to Little Rock, was in town visiting and had gone to The Brick House for a night out.
Anyone who was at the Brick House when the shooting occurred or who has information on what led to the incident is urged to call police at 870-881-4810.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.