Bond was set at $75,000 Monday for a man who is believed to have shot and injured a 14-year-old boy.
William E. Whatley, 20, of El Dorado, was arrested Sunday evening on charges of first-degree battery after being implicated in the shooting incident that injured a teen boy.
On Sunday at about 5:30 p.m., El Dorado Police Department responded to the Medical Center of South Arkansas in reference to a gunshot victim. The victim had been shot in the shoulder, said Lt. Chris Lutman, public information officer for the EPD.
The teenager reported being shot in the wood line in the 1200 block of North Madison Street, near Sonic. Lutman said the minor was reticent to talk about what led to his injuries, but officers were eventually able to zero-in on Whatley as a suspect.
Three hours after the initial report of a gunshot victim, Whatley was arrested without incident during a traffic stop.
Lutman said it still is unclear what led to the boy being shot. Yesterday afternoon, the EPD interviewed others who may have been involved, he said.
He said there may have been prior bad blood between the two that led to the shooting.
“If I’m a 14-year-old and I’m hanging out with a 20-year-old, there’s something going on there,” Lutman said.
Whatley could face between five and 20 years and a fine of up to $15,000 if convicted.
Murmil shooting
Lutman said a third arrest has been made in reference to a shooting that took place in the Murmil neighborhood of El Dorado last week.
Last Wednesday, EPD responded to reports of a shooting in the Murmil area, at the corner of Lakeland and Nevada streets. Occupants of two vehicles were reportedly shooting at one another, Lutman said.
One of the vehicles was located Wednesday night with two juveniles inside; one of the juveniles was arrested on the spot and the second, injured, was transported for medical treatment with non-life threatening injuries.
A second suspect, another juvenile was arrested Thursday. The two
juveniles arrested last week are facing charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threatening and first-degree battery.
A third suspect was cited after the shooting on charges of terroristic threatening. Lutman said this suspect is the juvenile who was found injured last Wednesday. The suspect has appeared in juvenile court, but yesterday afternoon Lutman was unsure whether he’d been remanded to a juvenile facility or not.
Lutman said he expects an arrest warrant for a fourth suspect to be forthcoming.
Homicide investigation
Frustratingly, Lutman said, the EPD has no updates on a homicide that took the life of Octavius Critton, 17, of El Dorado on Aug. 11. The EPD is making deliberations on ways to encourage those with information to come forward, he said.
Critton was days away from beginning his senior year at El Dorado High School when he was killed. He played football for the Wildcats.
Those with information on any of these crimes are encouraged to contact the El Dorado Police Department at 881-4810. The El Dorado Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for Octavius’ death.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].