Families dispute the incident
Watkins acknowledged to police that he, Mills and 11-year-old Pierce were in an argument at the store. But according to an affidavit, Watkins refused to provide additional details to police or allow them to search his home. Watkins was later charged with two counts of aggravated assault and is currently in jail.
His daughter, Jasmine Watkins, 17, disputed the accusations made by Mills and witness accounts in police reports. Watkins said she did not believe her father called Mills a racial slur. Watkins also disputed that her father pointed a gun at Mills and his brother.
She said her father didn’t know Mills and Pierce were children and that he is not racist.
According to Mills and his grandmother, Angela Shears, this was not the first interaction in which Mills felt threatened.
Shears said Watkins’ home is located in the same area where Mills gets on the bus and goes to school every day.
Mills described an incident in December when he and three friends were getting off a bus walking down the side of the street. As they were walking and talking, Mills said Watkins came out of his home shouting racial slurs and cuss words at them.
Shears said Mills no longer goes to the bus stop location since the latest incident because of fear of another confrontation.
“My mom is so afraid, that now, she is taking him [Mills] back and forth to school, that is how bad it was,” said Shears.
‘I thought I was going to die’
During the incident on Saturday, Mills said Watkins told him he wanted to fight and, at one point, threatened to kill him.
When Mills and his brother left the Family Dollar parking lot on a bike, Mills said Watkins followed them in a car. Mills said two other people were in the car.
Near his home, Mills said he saw the gun while Watkins was rapidly turning his car with tires screeching. Mills told his little brother to get on the side of the street so he wouldn’t get hit.
When Mills shouted that Watkins had a gun, he told his brother to run off.
“He told the dude in the passenger seat to kill me,” Mills said.
According to the police report, at one point, Mills heard Watkins say “N-word, I’ll kill you.” Watkins pointed the gun at Pierce before he and Mills ended up making it inside their home, according the police affidavit.
“I thought I was going to die. I was crying and stuff because if something happened, I would have thought it was my fault,” Mills said, citing fear for his younger brother’s life.
Shears said Mills and Pierce were “scared for their life.” She said the boys were crying and shaking after the incident.
‘He needs to leave him alone’
Jasmine Watkins acknowledged some history between her father and the boys who live nearby. However, she said it’s Mills who often initiates confrontations with her father.
Jasmine Watkins believes her father is sitting in jail for “no reason.” She said the car, which MPD identified as a white Ford Crown Victoria, was not in good enough condition to be able to chase down Mills in the way he told police.
“Look man, I’m mixed, my mother is black, he would have never said that word. Because he knew I would have slapped the p--- out of him,” she said.
“My dad has multiple friends that I can call right now and get to show up for you. They will tell you, he does not like that word. Even one of his friends that is mad at him right now told me, he does not like that word. And it’s a black guy,” Jasmine Watkins said.
Shears said other neighbors have also complained about Watkins.
On Dec. 17, Watkins received a misdemeanor citation after a person accused Watkins of shouting cuss words at him because his car was in the way, according to an affidavit. After the person moved the car, Watkins had caused so much attention while yelling, that traffic along 160 N. Main Street had stopped and looked, according to the affidavit.
In that incident, Watkins was charged with disorderly conduct.