4 people charged in drive-by

They’re accused in Ashdown gunfire that left victim dead

ASHDOWN — Three adults and a youth, accused in a fatal drive-by shooting, were charged Tuesday in Little River County Circuit Court in Ashdown.

Joshua King, 20; Brady Winship, 19; Tenescha Wilkerson, 18; and the youth were arrested several hours after two Ashdown teens were shot July 16, Ashdown Police Chief Mark Ardwin said.

Desmond Smith, 19, died of a gunshot wound in the chest. Samari Covington, 19, was wounded in the arm. Prosecutor Bryan Chesshir said the shootings were gang-related and described the investigation as “complicated.”

King was charged with murder in the second degree, battery in the first degree and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle. Winship and Wilkerson were both charged with accomplice to murder in the second degree, battery in the first degree and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle.

The youth was also charged as an accomplice. Additional information regarding the youth, including the person’s name, was not released.

Circuit Judge Tom Cooper scheduled a pretrial hearing for the three adults on Nov. 14 and a trial date for Nov. 27 in the Little River County Courthouse in Ashdown.

Ashdown police were dispatched to a Washington Street home about 1 a.m. July 16 in regards to a shooting.

According to initial reports, several people in a red Dodge Charger drove by the home looking for a resident. A relative, who suspected the vehicle’s occupants were there to fight, told them to leave, Ardwin said.

Smith and Covington went out to the vehicle, authorities said. Shots were fired from the vehicle, striking both men and two parked cars, officials said. The Charger then drove away. A witness named one of the car’s occupants, police said.

Officers recovered 9mm shell casings at the scene and notified surrounding law enforcement agencies.