Donterious Stephens: Arkansas teen faces first-degree murder charge for fatal shooting at high school prom afterparty
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
HELENA-WEST HELENA, ARKANSAS: An Arkansas teenager has been apprehended on a first-degree murder charge following a fatal shooting at a high school prom afterparty, early Sunday, April 21.
Donterious Stephens, 19, surrendered to authorities in connection with the death of Lorenzo Harrison III, 18, a senior at Helena-West Helena's Central High School.
Prom afterparty takes tragic turn
The incident occurred at an off-campus party following the prom festivities. Helena-West Helena, located approximately 52 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, found itself grappling with the aftermath of this devastating event.
Stephens, a former graduate of the school, turned himself in and is currently held at the Phillips County jail awaiting further legal proceedings, per US News.
Despite attending the same school, the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
While Stephens awaits his court appearance, the community mourns the loss of Harrison, a promising young individual whose life was tragically cut short.
Texas boy, 10, confesses to fatally shooting man two years ago
In a separate incident, a 10-year-old boy from South Texas admitted to authorities his involvement in a fatal shooting two years prior. However, he will not face charges for the crime.
On January 18, 2022, Brandon O’Quinn Rasberry, 32, tragically lost his life as a result of the actions of the boy, reported MEAWW.
The Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office reported that the unnamed child provided firsthand details about Rasberry's shooting while being questioned for allegedly threatening a classmate. The child described how he retrieved a pistol from his grandfather’s truck, entered Rasberry’s RV at an RV park, and fatally shot him. The incident occurred approximately one hour east of San Antonio.
Despite the gravity of the confession, state law prohibits charging the child in connection with the 2022 homicide due to his age at the time of the crime, as stipulated by the Texas Penal Code. At the time of the murder, the child was seven years old, just one week shy of his 8th birthday.
