A shooting at a funeral last week resulted in no deaths or injuries, though there was one report of property damage as a result of the incident.
At a funeral at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Saturday, witnesses reported that the funeral-goers rushed to the back of the church when “volleys” of shots rang out.
The funeral was for Darris C. Davis, 35, who was killed in an Oct. 7 shooting in El Dorado. The funeral was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.; the Union County Sheriff’s Office reported responding to shots fired by 2:30 p.m.
According to the police report for Saturday’s shooting, a man was in the vestibule area of the church when the funeral was to begin. Someone there asked the man to either come to the service or go outside. The man reportedly appeared to be “dissatisfied or angry” when the other person spoke to him.
The man did go outside, the witness said, and at that point the witness noticed four other people approaching the church. The witness said the first man approached a vehicle parked across the street and got a small baseball bat, which he hid behind him. The man reportedly told the four others they did not belong there. At that point, the witness said, gunfire rang out, so the witness closed and locked the church doors.
Another witness said they were in the bathroom when the gunfire started. According to the police report, funeral attendees were rushing towards the back of the church when the witness left the bathroom. The witness said they opened the side door of the church to see a man with a large handgun on the other side; upon seeing the gun, the witness said they closed and locked the door.
UCSO deputies received reports that the shooter had left the scene in an SUV. A UCSO deputy was able to detain the vehicle occupants shortly after the incident; they were all released a short while later with no arrests. UCSO Chief Deputy Charlie Phillips said none of the vehicle’s occupants matched suspect descriptions.
A third witness reported seeing a man with a rifle standing in the road then leaving; the witness said they then saw a small vehicle leave the area headed west.
UCSO officers were unable to locate any shell casings during a search of the area. They did not find damage to vehicles at the scene or the church building.
The next day, Sunday, a woman reported that her vehicle was damaged during the shots fired incident. A UCSO officer observed a small shattered pane of glass and a bullet hole in the door frame. The woman said her car had been parked on Mt. Zion Road in front of the church. No other damage from the incident had been reported as of Thursday.
“The next morning, we had a deputy in the church parking lot for [their] peace of mind during service,” Phillips said.
An investigation into Saturday’s incident is ongoing. In a previous statement to the News-Times, Sheriff Ricky Roberts urged anyone with information regarding the shooting outside Mt. Zion Baptist Church to call the UCSO at 870-864-1970.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].