A Miller County jury handed down a total 100-year sentence Wednesday for a 23-year-old man in connection with a November 2015 shooting at a Texarkana apartment complex.
Shelby Jamal Davis was found guilty Tuesday of aggravated robbery and four counts of battery. The jury sentenced Davis to 40 years for aggravated robbery and 20 years on each of the four counts of battery and recommended to Circuit Judge Brent Haltom that each of the terms run at the same time. Davis was found to have used a firearm in each of the counts of battery and the jury sentenced Davis to an additional 15 years enhanced on each of the counts of battery. The enhancement terms must run consecutively to one another and to the underlying sentence under the law.
Jimmy Jones testified that he had never met Davis until the day of the shooting. Jones testified that a friend, Jake Radney, whom he met while working at Applebees in Texarkana, wanted to meet him on the evening of Nov. 15, 2015, to pay him money he owed for marijuana. Jones said he went to the parking lot of the Fox Creek Apartments at about 8:30 p.m. after receiving a text from Radney.
Jones said he doesn’t know what caused Davis to fly into a rage. Jones said he was sitting in the back of Radney’s white Nissan Altima and Davis was in the front passenger seat when Davis began getting out and yelled, “You don’t know me n—–, I’m from the hood. Give me the moeny.”
Other witnesses testified that Jones was apologizing when Davis struck him in the left side of his face with a .380 pistol. Jones said he held the money out to Davis as he held his arms across his face as he said, “Take it. Take it.”
Davis shot Jones in each arm and in each leg. Jones said he continues to experience pain, cannot use one of his thumbs and has metal pins holding bone together in his arms and legs.
Wednesday morning the jury heard testimony in the punishment phase of Davis’ trial. Davis’ mother and grandfather asked the jury for leniency, under questioning from Texarkana attorney Josh Potter. Davis’ former high school football coach, Barry Norton, testified that Davis was “a good player, a good kid. He always did a good job for us.”
The prosecution called one witness to testify during the punishment phase about Davis’ arrest for drugs and weapon possession while free on bond on the charges he was convicted of this week. Texarkana, Ark., Police Officer Dakota Easley testified that he stopped Davis Sept. 24, 2017, for driving a black Mitsubishi with expired registration, under questioning from Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kristian Robertson.
Easley said Davis drove two blocks before stopping for the patrol car behind him. Easley said Davis refused when he asked to search the car. After finding sellable amounts of Xanax, Ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine in Davis’ passenger’s pants, both men were arrested for drug possession with intent to distribute. Davis was also charged with possessing a firearm after a .40 caliber pistol was discovered under the driver’s seat where he’d been sitting, Easley said.
Robertson and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell argued in closing remarks that Davis is a danger to the community and that he should be punished severely for opening fire at an apartment complex.
“He’s out on bond for these felonies and what does he do,” Mitchell argued. “He’s driving around town selling dope with his buddy. Once again he’s out there putting me, you and our society at risk.”