Man gets 7-year term in Hot Springs killing

HOT SPRINGS — A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for the April 15 shooting death of a teen after an altercation on Cones Road.

Tyrese Darnell Davis, 20, who lists a Bailey Place address, pleaded guilty Monday in Garland County Circuit Court to manslaughter and theft of a firearm and was sentenced to the maximum of 10 years in prison, with three years suspended, on each count, to run concurrently.

“So seven years ADC with three years suspended when he gets out to ensure he follows the law,” Garland County prosecutor Michelle Lawrence told The Sentinel-Record on Tuesday.

Lawrence noted that the grandmother of the victim, identified as Cam’Ron Vallequese Coger, 16, was consulted on the offer made to Davis, who had no criminal history prior to his arrest shortly after the shooting.

According to the probable cause affidavit, around 9 p.m. April 15, Hot Springs police responded to the 300 block of Cones Road regarding a shooting and found Coger suffering from a gunshot wound in the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A witness told police that he heard what he believed were gunshots, looked outside and saw three Black males running down the street on Cones Road toward Malvern Avenue and then heard additional shots.

Moments later, a male later identified as Coger ran back and collapsed in the driveway at 307 Cones Road and a second Black male ran toward 323 Cones. The witness said he did not know the males but had seen them at 323 Cones “on numerous occasions.”

At around 12:10 a.m. April 16, Davis came to the police department and was questioned. Davis told Detective Mark Fallis he was at 323 Cones Road and got into an altercation with Coger. He said Coger stood up and a gun he had in his possession fell to the floor. Davis said he picked up the gun and fled the residence.

Davis said Coger “chased after him yelling,” and Davis said that as he was running down the street he fired the gun in Coger’s direction but “did not aim it at him.” He said he believed one round struck Coger.

Davis said after he fired Coger “turned and ran the other direction” where he collapsed and “ultimately died from his injury,” the affidavit states.

Davis was initially held in lieu of $50,000 bond and pleaded innocent to the charge that same day in Garland County District Court. Judge Joe Graham issued a gag order limiting pretrial publicity in the case, which was bound over to circuit court April 29.