A man accused of killing one person and injuring two others in a shooting at a Little Rock apartment complex Monday pleaded innocent in the case Tuesday morning.
Denzell Terrell Braud, 23, faces one count of capital murder, two counts of criminal attempt to commit capital murder and two counts of first-degree battery. District Judge Alice Lightle on Tuesday ordered Braud to be held without bail at the Pulaski County jail.
Police arrested Braud about 8:22 a.m. Monday after responding to Arkansas River Apartments and finding Cordarell Collins, 22, shot to death inside his apartment. Officers also found Collins' girlfriend, Alexis Davis, and her 3-year-old son. They'd both been shot in the chest.
Davis, 21, was treated at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock and released, according to police. Her son remained at Arkansas Children's Hospital on Tuesday. Police spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan said the boy is expected to survive.
Police initially described the case only as "domestic in nature." A police report released after Tuesday's court hearing provided new details on the case.
According to the court filing, Braud had been dating Collins' mother and living part time with them at the apartment where the shooting occurred. Collins' mother, who was not identified in the document, told investigators Braud "had been acting strange" Monday morning and she left the apartment to let him calm down.
Witnesses said Braud, a New Orleans native who is nicknamed "N.O.," was outside the apartment "mean mugging" other tenants before he charged into the apartment and shot Collins multiple times, according to the police report. Davis reportedly told investigators she heard her boyfriend yell, "Why are you shooting me, N.O.?" She hid in a closet with her son, but Braud found them and opened fire, the report states.
Little Rock police detective Charles Ray wrote in the court filing that Braud called police shortly after the shooting and said someone had shot at him. Braud also said he was being held against his will at the apartment, and that sometimes he blacks out and has no memory of past events, Ray wrote.
Officers arrested Braud at 3601 Kings Row Drive, about a half mile northwest of the apartment complex.
Police then searched the apartment and reportedly found furniture and several pieces of rolled-up paper doused in cooking oil.
"It appeared that the suspect had attempted to set the apartment on fire prior to fleeing the scene, but the fire did not ignite," Ray said in the police report.
Collins' death is the 13th homicide of the year in Little Rock.
Court records show Braud, whose first name is spelled "Denzel" in some documents, was arrested in Arkansas and extradited to New Orleans in an armed robbery case in 2012. He has a listed address at 2627 N. Miro St. in North Little Rock, in addition to his part-time residence at the Little Rock apartment complex.
Braud's next court date was set for Aug. 8.
Metro on 06/08/2016