Cardaro Houston, 18, a Black male, was shot on the evening of September 19, 2015, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Police were first dispatched to a shooting call at 1523 South Peyton around 2:37 p.m., and investigators soon focused on the area near 12th Street and Fair Park Boulevard, where they believed the fatal gunfire occurred amid a group of juveniles. Houston was taken to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and pronounced dead upon arrival.
Within days, Little Rock police identified 17-year-old Cedric Domond West as a suspect. Authorities said West turned himself in at police headquarters on Monday, September 21, 2015, and he was booked on a capital murder charge in connection with Houston’s killing. At the time, police also circulated information about a white Crown Victoria with a push bumper and spotlight that was being sought in the investigation, and they noted witness accounts pointing to multiple juveniles being involved.
Court records and local reporting show the case moved through the courts over the following year. In November 2016, West’s initial capital murder charge was reduced when he pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the death of Cardaro Houston. A Pulaski County judge sentenced him to 10 years in state prison on the manslaughter conviction.
Public compilations of the case reiterate the basic contours: the date and location of the shooting, Houston’s age, and West’s identification as the suspect who surrendered. They also record Houston’s race as Black/African American, consistent with police and media reports from the time.
