Local teen charged with felony battery for 2020 shooting
A local teen was charged with felony battery Wednesday in connection with the shooting of a Hot Springs man in March 2020 where he allegedly said he “blacked out” and “just started pulling the trigger.”
Joseph Jack Mitchell, 18, who lists a Stover Street address, was taken into custody shortly before 3 p.m. and charged with first-degree battery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Mitchell was being held on $100,000 bond and will appear in Garland County Circuit Court, where the case was filed directly on March 4, at a date yet to be set as of Thursday.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on June 30, 2020, Hot Springs police Detective Brian Branstetter interviewed Mitchell, then 17, at the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center in Alexander in the presence of his Department of Human Services caseworker.
Branstetter told Mitchell “his name had come up” and asked him if he knew anything about an incident that happened on Cooper Street in Hot Springs on March 29 and Mitchell reportedly replied, “Yes, sir.”
Asked to describe what happened, Mitchell allegedly stated he was at the house/camper of John Jason Childs, age not listed, and he and Childs were “getting high.”
Mitchell said he “did a shot” of meth and Childs was smoking it.
He said Childs started “getting real aggressive” with him, yelling at him and “getting in his face.” He said Childs was yelling “(expletive) you!” and “other stuff,” and noted he had only known Childs for “a couple of days.”
Mitchell said he had a pistol in his waistband and when Childs began yelling at him, he pulled it out. He said Childs “went to grab for the gun” and he shot him. He said he was unaware how many times he shot him because he “blacked out” and “just started pulling the trigger.”
Mitchell described the gun as black and silver and said he thought it was a .40-caliber.
He said Childs had grabbed his hand at one point and Mitchell “cocked the gun” and began shooting. He again said he was unsure how many shots he fired or if Childs had been hit.
Mitchell said he fled the scene after the shooting and that his “homeboy” was sitting in a car around the corner waiting for him.
Following the interview and after further investigation into the incident, the affidavit was filed in circuit court and a warrant for Mitchell’s arrest was issued on Monday.