Report: St. Patrick’s Day murder stemmed from argument
The fatal shooting of a Hot Springs man outside a local convenience store the morning of St. Patrick’s Day reportedly stemmed from an argument with the three males charged in his death, according to arrest affidavits.
The victim, identified as Gary DeWayne Lockhart, 20, was found lying on his back with a gunshot wound to his chest in the parking lot of the Valero, 1306 Albert Pike, after Hot Springs police responded to a 911 call of a shooting shortly after 9:30 a.m. on March 17, the affidavits said.
Officers noted lifesaving efforts were being provided by witnesses at the scene when they arrived. LifeNet personnel also arrived on the scene, but despite their lifesaving efforts, Lockhart “was deceased and there was nothing more they could do,” the affidavits said.
Malik Mekhi Hughes, 18, and Jamiah Taj Hughes, 20, who both list the same address on Ross Street, and Kai Laramey Moore, 19, who lists a Stover Street address, were taken into custody about 20 minutes after the shooting in the area of Central Avenue and Winona Street following a traffic stop.
They were each charged with a felony count of second-degree murder, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Jamiah Hughes was also charged with first-degree unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, punishable by up to life. All three remained in custody Friday in lieu of a $500,000 bond.
Witnesses at the Valero said three Black males in a black car “got into an argument” with the victim. Lockhart “appeared to attempt to open the rear passenger door” and at that point was shot from inside the car and fell to the ground, according to the affidavits.
While officers were still en
route to the scene, a dispatcher advised that one witness was following the suspect vehicle, which was subsequently stopped by patrol units and the three occupants, identified as Malik and Jamiah Hughes and Moore, were detained.
The witness had reportedly observed the shooting and followed the vehicle from the scene to where the stop was made. He noted the suspects had also stopped briefly at the E-Z Mart, 505 Summer St.
Surveillance footage from the E-Z Mart was obtained and allegedly showed the black car pull into the parking lot, stop in front of the store and then “immediately move to the side of the building near the dumpster” where it stopped again.
At that time, the front-seat passenger reportedly got out and got into the driver’s side of the vehicle. While he was doing that, “other movement could be seen inside the vehicle as if the other occupants were also changing seats,” the affidavits said.
Another reported witness to the shooting rode with Detective Hunter Scott to the scene where the traffic stop was made and as they drove past, the witness identified the three males being detained as the ones involved in the shooting.
The witness pointed to one male with “thick dreads,” or dreadlocks, and identified him as the one who fired the shot at the victim. The male with “thick dreads” was reportedly identified as Jamiah Hughes, resulting in the additional charge.
The charges against the three suspects were filed directly to Garland County Circuit Court. Malik Hughes has a court date set for April 4 on the murder charge, according to the Garland County Detention Center’s inmate roster.
No court date has been listed for Jamiah Hughes or Moore. A gag order was issued the day of the shooting limiting pretrial publicity and available information in the case.
According to previous court records, Malik Hughes was arrested March 8 on felony charges of theft by receiving over $25,000, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and theft by receiving over $5,000, punishable by up to six years, after he was allegedly caught driving a stolen car with a stolen gun inside. He was released later that same day on a $7,500 bond and is set to be arraigned on those charges May 26 in Garland County District Court.
Following his arrest on the murder charge, Moore was served with a warrant for a misdemeanor count of third-degree domestic battery, stemming from an incident involving a female that allegedly occurred on March 13.
Moore pleaded guilty to the charge on March 18 and was sentenced to one year in jail with all but two days suspended so it was adjudicated by time served. He has no listed criminal history prior to that and Jamiah Hughes had no prior history.