An El Dorado man is being held on a $350,000 bond for first-degree murder and several other felony charges in connection to a shooting that left another man dead on Aug. 6.
Jar'Dayquas Keese, 24, appeared Monday in 35th Judicial District Court on charges of first-degree murder, terroristic act, felony with a firearm and carrying certain prohibited weapons.
Keese faces a penalty enhancement for committing an offense in the presence of a child, also a felony.
He is scheduled for another appearance in district court today on misdemeanor charges of enforcement of fines and failure to appear.
Keese is accused of gunning down 29-year-old Nathan Rainey Jr. during an alleged altercation that was reported in the early morning hours of Aug. 6 at Hillsboro Town House Apartments, 1600 Short E. Hillsboro.
At approximately 2 a.m. on Aug. 6, officers responded to a report of shots fired in the apartment complex.
Capt. Scott Harwell, of the El Dorado Police Department Criminal Investigative Division, said there was some confusion surrounding the initial call.
"Patrol (officers) got sent to 1600 (Short E. Hillsboro) about an hour prior for shots fired. They circulated 1600 and a couple of people told them it was at (Hudson Place Apartments, 301 Hudson)," Harwell said.
Hudson Place is adjacent to and located just north of the Hillsboro apartment complex.
"They went to (Hudson Place) and people there told them it was at 1600 and after circulating both places, they get notified about a deceased person, a body in an apartment at 1600," Harwell continued.
EPD captain said he was notified of the incident at approximately 3:15 a.m. and he arrived on the scene a short time later.
He said Rainey had been shot at least once and lay just inside the entrance of his Hillsboro Town House apartment, just east of the complex office building.
Harwell also noted that several people were gathered outside.
"There was an altercation that occurred outside the apartment. I don't know how long it was before (Rainey) was found," Harwell said.
"We feel that he was probably shot very close to the time frame of when we got the shots-fired call, but I'm not one hundred percent sure how long he lay on the floor inside his apartment," he said.
Investigators and patrol officers determined there was "some sort of verbal exchange" between Rainey and Keese.
"That resulted in Keese firing shots and Rainey getting hit," Harwell said.
Rainey was standing at the top of stairway and in front of his apartment in the two-story apartment building when he was struck at least once in the abdomen, Harwell explained.
The shooter, later identified as Keese, is believed to have stood just outside the apartment building and fired through a window just above the entrance into the building.
Harwell said a child was present during the shooting.
No other injuries were reported in the incident.
Rainey was pronounced dead on the scene and his body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for an autopsy.
Investigators are awaiting a preliminary medical examiner's report from the crime lab. Harwell said full ME's and toxicology reports could be completed in five to eight weeks.
Harwell said detectives are working to establish the relationship between Rainey and Keese, noting that the pair had been "hanging out" with a group of people outside Rainey's apartment building prior to the altercation and subsequent shooting.
While investigating the crime scene, police received word that Keese had gone to EPD headquarters on North West Avenue to surrender himself to officers.
Harwell said officers, including Union County sheriff's deputies, were sent to "stand by with Keese" and Keese made "spontaneous statements" about the incident, sharing details that helped to advance the investigation.
"They relayed that information to us -- which led to us recovering the firearm (a handgun) that was used," Harwell said.
During a first appearance hearing Monday in district court, Keese was issued a cash or corporate surety bond of $350,000.
He was determined indigent and will be assigned to a public defender.
Keese remained in the Union County jail late Tuesday afternoon in lieu of bond.
Keese was also issued a daily curfew of 8 p.m. until 7 a.m., ordered not to have any contact with Rainey's family and required to wear a GPS monitor if he is released from jail on bond.
Also appearing in district court Monday were Dontess A. Crist, 22 and Jalen D. Lobe, 21, both of whom were charged with one count each of violation of the Uniform Machine Gun Act.
Harwell said the pair was arrested during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon.
Police reportedly found two guns inside Crist and Lobe's vehicle and one of the guns had been manipulated "into (fully) automatic mode."
"Based on where they both were in the car and where the guns were found, they were both arrested," Harwell said.
Crist and Lobe each received a bond of $25,000.
Crist remained jailed late Tuesday afternoon. He is scheduled for another appearance in district court today to face a misdemeanor charge of enforcement of fines.