In the winter of 2017, a young man's life was cut short in a violent encounter that unfolded in the parking lot of the Hot Springs Mall Cinema. Quadryon Gipson, a 20-year-old male, died on January 15, 2017, from a single gunshot wound to his torso. The events of that evening were initially reported as shots fired, leading Hot Springs police to the scene where they would begin to unravel a story of a drug deal gone fatally wrong.
Gipson, along with two associates, 21-year-old MoChariee
Kewanna West and 20-year-old Malik Blevins, had arranged to meet 20-year-old Dylan Carpenter in the cinema's parking lot under the pretense of purchasing narcotics. However, the investigation later revealed that the trio's actual intention was to rob Carpenter. During this hostile encounter, Carpenter drew a weapon and fired, striking both Gipson and Blevins. While Blevins was wounded in the leg and later released from the hospital, Gipson's injury proved to be fatal, and he died at a local hospital shortly after the shooting.
In the aftermath of the deadly incident, the wheels of justice began to turn. On January 25, Dylan Carpenter turned himself into the Hot Springs Police Department. He was subsequently arrested and faced serious charges, including second-degree murder, committing a terrorist act, and first-degree battery. The investigation also led to the arrest of MoChariee Kewanna West in February, who was charged with aggravated robbery and manslaughter for her role in the planned robbery that led to Gipson's death. Authorities also issued active warrants for Malik Blevins for aggravated robbery and manslaughter.
