Teen arrested after 4-day search

U.S. Marshals with assistance from Little Rock police and other agencies arrested a 16-year-old shooting suspect Wednesday afternoon after a multiday manhunt.

Keaton McGee of Little Rock was arrested near Stagecoach Road and Interstate 430 at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on an escape warrant, according to police spokesman Sgt. Eric Barnes. McGee fled from police Saturday while being detained in a shooting that evening, Barnes said.

McGee was detained Saturday at 1 Bass Pro Drive where, at a carnival in the parking lot of The Outlets of Little Rock, Deante Smith, 22, of Forrest City was shot at 5:45 p.m., according to authorities.

Smith died later at a hospital.

Barnes said McGee fled from the 12th Street police substation at 3999 W. 12th St., running south after police attempted to put him in a vehicle to be transported to a hospital for medical treatment.

That evening, officers, in collaboration with North Little Rock’s Police Department, searched the 12th Street area via drone and police dog but were unable to find McGee.

Barnes said McGee has not been charged in the carnival homicide but he is a person of interest in the investigation.

He “is still definitely a person of interest in that case,” Barnes said.

Because of McGee’s escape, the investigation into the shooting has not progressed much, Barnes said, adding that detectives will be questioning McGee about the incident.

At the time of Saturday’s shooting McGee was out on bail following his arrest in the Feb. 28 shooting of a 17-yearold girl at 14000 Otter Creek, police spokesman Mark Edwards said Monday.