Suspect arrested in robbery, shooting
Garland County sheriff’s investigators arrested a second suspect Thursday morning in connection with a home invasion robbery in Mountain Pine Saturday in which one resident was shot.
James Elijah West, 25, alias “Slim,” who lists an address of 200 Cooper St. in Hot Springs, was taken into custody shortly after 10 a. m. in the 900 block of Whittington Avenue on felony warrants for aggravated residential burglary, punishable by up life in prison, and first-degree battery, punishable by up to 20 years.
The latter charge stems from allegations West was the one who actually shot
the victim, Alexander Lamont Oliver, 28, at his residence at 301 McCurtain St. during the robbery which occurred around 3: 15 p.m. Saturday.
An alleged accomplice, Philemon Cornell Tops, 19, who lists an address of 139 Fairwood St., was arrested at the scene shortly after the incident and charged with aggravated robbery. Both West, who is on parole from a 2013 conviction, and Tops remained in custody Friday in lieu of $100,000 bond each and are both set to appear Dec. 16 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, GCSD deputies responded to a report of shots fired at the McCurtain Street address and upon arrival found Oliver with one gunshot wound to his stomach. Some bystanders in the area had detained a possible suspect later identified as Tops, who had fled from the residence and was found hiding in a trash can at a nearby church.
Tops was brought to the sheriff’s department and questioned and stated he was not the person in possession of the gun used in the robbery and said it was someone he knew only as “Slim” and he didn’t know his real name.
After the interview, Tops was shown a photo of West and reportedly indicated that was the man he knew as “Slim.”
Oliver was interviewed Saturday at CHI Vincent Hot Springs where he was taken by LifeNet Air after the shooting. He told investigators he had heard a knock on the side entrance of his house and opened the door thinking it was a friend of his who had visited numerous times.
When Oliver realized his friend was not following him into the house as normal, he turned around and saw a black handgun pointed at him and two men. He described the one with the gun as a “tall, slender black male.”
The gunman ordered Oliver and another resident, 59, to get on the living room floor. Oliver said that the second man, who didn’t have a gun, said, “You might as well kill the old guy first.”
The gunman then leaned over and pointed the gun to the head of the older resident. Oliver said he noticed the gunman was looking out the window and “took the opportunity to grab the gun.” A struggle ensued during which the gun discharged and Oliver was struck in the stomach.
Investigators interviewed two juvenile witnesses who were also reportedly present in the house during the shooting. They both identified a man they knew as “Slim” as being one of the robbers. They were later shown a photo lineup and both identified West as the one they knew as “Slim.”
In the affidavit for Tops, it was noted that when investigators interviewed Tops he reportedly stated they had gone to the residence to get some marijuana. He claimed West had told him to hold the victim’s backpack because he was going to shoot the victim.