3 city men held in armed robbery
Published 11:38 am Friday, September 30, 2011
Three Vicksburg men were being held at police headquarters after an attempted robbery left a would-be victim shot in both arms, police said.
Jayvin Davenport, 18, 607 Florence Ave.; Antonio Curtis, 19, 1614 South St., and Richard Butler, 32, 1424 South St., face charges of aggravated assault, attempted armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery after their arrests late Thursday night and early this morning, Lt. Bobby Stewart said.
They are accused of trying to rob two men, one of whom was shot with one bullet that passed through both arms.
Stewart said Butler, who was a backseat passenger in a car in which the victims were in the front, is accused of plotting the robbery with Davenport and Curtis, and luring the two to the 1300 block of Randolph Street, where Davenport and Curtis were waiting.
Curtis, he said, is accused of shooting the driver with a 9mm handgun.
Stewart said the assault and attempted robbery was discovered after officers responded at 10:13 p.m. to a 911 call of shots fired near Randolph and Farmer streets. Then officers received a call that a man at Clay and Farmer claimed he had been shot on Randolph.
Stewart said Butler asked the victims to give him a ride to Poplar Street and then told the driver to take them to Randolph Street, where they would meet some women.
When they arrived on Randolph, Davenport and Curtis came out of the bushes with guns, approached the car, and told the driver to “give it up.”
After he refused, Stewart said, he was shot, with one bullet passing through both arms. He said a second shot passed through the other victim’s pants leg, but did not hit him.
The victims gave a description of their assailants, and officers arrested Davenport and Curtis at 11 p.m. during a traffic stop at South and Farmer streets.
Butler was arrested at 1:02 a.m. during questioning at the police station.
All three were being held without bond pending an initial appearance in municipal court today.