CHARGES FILED: In lounge shooting.

Little Rock police today say they’d filed charges against a second person, Tyler Jackson, 19, in the Power Ultra Lounge shootings July 1.

Jackson was already in custody in Faulkner County on charges including theft, assault and a variety of traffic charges. He was to be transferred to Pulaski County for arraignment on the Little Rock charge.

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He’s charged with three counts of second-degree battery and six counts of aggravated assault, the first charges filed against someone for causing injury to those among the 25 people shot the night that gunfire broke out during a rap show at the club.

At a press conference today at LRPD headquarters on West Markham, Captain Rusty King, head of the LRPD’s Major Crimes Unit, said that Jackson was the “initial shooter” in the incident. Jackson lives in Little Rock, King said, and was “in the crowd” during the shooting, with each of the three aggravated assault counts being related to a person Jackson allegedly shot. King refused to say whether the information about the three alleged shootings was obtained through witnesses or ballistics, or even how police connected Jackson to the shooting at the club, saying those details were part of the ongoing investigation. Though an agent with the ATF was present, and King thanked the agency for working on the investigation, he said Jackson is not being charged federally “at this time.” 

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King said that the investigation leading to Jackson’s arrest has taken months because of “a very large crime scene with lots of details to be processed by detectives.” It was a sentiment seconded later by Mayor Mark Stodola, who said of the investigation of what he called a “dastardly act”: “It’s not like it happens on TV. It takes diligent police work.”

Earlier, police had charged Kentrell “Dirt” Gwynn, a bodyguard for rapper Ricky Hampton, known as FineseTwoTyme4s, with 10 counts of aggravated assault because spent rounds from his gun were found in the club. He wasn’t specifically accused of shooting anyone. The rapper also has been charged with a shooting in a Forrest City club.

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Police provided few details at the news conference. But they said Jackson was charged with firing nine shots from the crowd.

The investigation continues with the possibility of more charges.

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