A 20-year-old Little Rock man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday for his role in the robbery of a Jacksonville man who was beaten and shot during a holdup.
Kamron Lee Monte Mathis pleaded guilty to robbery, reduced from aggravated robbery, first-degree battery and possession of a firearm by certain persons in exchange for the 15-year term imposed by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herb Wright, said deputy prosecutor Martinque Parker.
Kirkland Reed Cooper was pistol-whipped and shot in the right thigh at his home at 103 Union Ave. on Dec. 30, after Mathis and a second man robbed him in front of his girlfriend, Shara Summons, court filings show.
Cooper told police he'd met Mathis through Facebook and arranged to buy a gun from him. Mathis arrived at Cooper's home with a second man, who threatened to shoot Mathis if he didn't cooperate with the robbers.
Mathis and the second man, a stranger, began fighting, and Mathis was clubbed in the head with the pistol.
Shots were fired during the struggle, wounding Cooper, and the two men fled, although police were able to arrest Mathis later after questioning his girlfriend, Tamara Johnson.
Cooper told police the robbers had taken the $120 he was going to use to buy the gun.
Mathis, who is also known as Killa Kam, Lil Thug and Lil Kam, was on probation at the time for aggravated assault and robbery.
Court records show Mathis has been under court supervision for the past three years.
On Dec. 1, 2013, Mathis, then 16, was arrested after he crashed a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu that had been stolen from Mayela Urrutia Gandia of Little Rock during a carjacking the night before at the Fun Wash at 3612 Baseline Road. The woman told police a robber put a gun in her face and pulled her out of the vehicle.
According to an arrest report, Little Rock police encountered Mathis about 12 hours after the robbery when he refused to stop for officers and wrecked the car during a pursuit on Baseline Road. He ran from the car, and police had to chase him down to arrest him.
He was charged as an adult, but in May 2014, prosecutors agreed to have his case transferred to juvenile court after he gave a sworn statement that he would plead guilty there.
He was arrested almost exactly a month later on June 4, 2014, after trying to rob a Jacksonville man at gunpoint with another man.
Juwell Daemon Tucker told police that Mathis, who was an acquaintance, had fired a shot at him after Tucker, then 17, caught Mathis and 18-year-old Courtney Zyronne Johnson II trying to steal his PlayStation video game at his home at 151 Roosevelt Road in Jacksonville.
Police found Mathis, who was 17 at the time, about a block away at 110 Joiner Ave. and arrested him.
Johnson, who was later convicted of robbery for his role in the holdup, was arrested about five weeks later.
Mathis pleaded guilty to robbery in April 2015 in exchange for five years on probation.
But that sentence was almost doubled in September 2016 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault.
According to a police report, witnesses saw Mathis fire a gun at the home of Dawanna Mayo at 3937 Arapaho Trail, then briefly exchange gunfire with another man, Romel Brandford, before fleeing.
Mayo told police that she had asked Mathis, a friend of her daughter's, to leave the home because he was being disrespectful.
Mathis got angry, went across the street and fired four shots, the report said.
Brandford said he was firing back at Mathis when the teen shot at him.
No one was hurt, but two bullet holes were found in the fence at the neighboring home of Jesus Silva at 3956 Arapaho Trail.
Metro on 06/07/2017