Capital counts levied in totʼs killing

A 21-year-old man, warned at age 17 he was not cut out for a life of crime, and a 17-year-old boy who has been a felon since he was 15 have been formally charged with capital murder over accusations they killed a 2-year-old Little Rock girl in November.

Ramiya Reed was fatally shot two days before Thanksgiving when someone fired into the back seat of a rented 2016 Toyota Camry being driven by her cousin Shunta Johnson, 38, on South Harrison Street about 10:30 p.m.

There were four other children in the car. The little girl was riding in the back with her mother, 28-year-old Rokiya Williams, and was the only one in the car hurt.

Charged on Thursday with her slaying are Larry James Jackson, 17, and Deshaun Malik Rushing. For the 21-yearold Rushing, the capital murder charge carries a possible death sentence. Jackson is too young to be executed, so he faces a minimum of 30 years in prison on the capital murder charge.

They are also charged with six counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, one for every other person in the car. Each count is a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The evidence against the pair has not been publicly disclosed. The arrest affidavits have been sealed.

Chief prosecutor John Johnson said he could not discuss the case against the men, but said prosecutors had thoroughly examined the police findings before filing charges.

“After a review of all of the facts and circumstances of this tragic event, we have agreed with Little Rock police to charge Larry Jackson and Deshaun Rushing with capital murder,” he said.

The next step for the defendants is arraignment on the charges in Pulaski County Circuit Court, a first-appearance hearing expected to be scheduled around Aug. 1. The case has been assigned to Pulaski County Circuit Judge Barry Sims. A 20-year veteran of the bench, Sims is already presiding over Little Rock’s other 2016 toddler homicide, the December slaying of 3-year-old Acen Ameer King.