SPRINGDALE, Ark. — One man has been arrested for attempted murder in Springdale after opening fire on another driver.
On July 19, Springdale police dispatch received calls about gunshots being fired. One of the callers was Daniel Davis. Davis identified himself as the person being shot at and said he was located at Westwood Elementary.
Officer Matthew Whitaker met Davis at Westwood Elementary. Davis was driving a silver Ford Focus. Officer Whitaker noticed a bullet hole in the right headlight. The bullet had gone through and into the front right tire of the vehicle. On the driver's side near the windshield glass, there was another mark that appeared to have ricocheted from another fired bullet.
Davis said he was driving southbound on Henryetta when he saw Alexandra Lethiot in the passenger seat of a dark-colored Nissan Altima being driven in the opposite direction by Troy Franklin.
Davis said he had previous problems with Lethiot regarding their child, and he turned around to follow them. When he turned around, he says he saw Lethiot reach under her seat and handed something to Franklin. That's when Franklin positioned the Altima in the middle of the road, reached out of his window, and started firing a gun at Davis. When the shots were fired, Davis says he ducked down, and that's when his vehicle rear-ended the Altima. Franklin then began to drive away, and when Davis attempted to follow, he realized he had a flat tire. Davis then stopped at Westwood Elementary and called police.
Officers were able to locate two .40 caliber shell casings in the area Davis said he was shot at, and pieces of broken tail light where the Altima was said to have been rear-ended. Davis's flat tire was collected because suspected bullet fragments could be heard inside it.
Davis says Franklin was upset with him because he thought Davis was trying to set him up on charges. He also says that approximately two weeks ago, Franklin told Davis he had a bullet with Davis's name on it.
While speaking with Davis, Officer Whitaker was informed that Kara Dorcey went to the Springdale Police Department to report the damage to the taillights caused to her car during the shooting. Dorcey drives a dark-colored Nissan Altima and is a known associate to Franklin. The broken taillight pieces were compared to her vehicle and made a perfect match. A gunshot residue was made to Dorcey's driver's side of the vehicle and came out positive. Dorcey declined to answer questions about how the car was damaged or who was driving the car that evening.
Lethiot was found and arrested later that evening. In her interview, she denied being in the vehicle at the time of the shooting. Franklin was arrested on July 21 for Attempted Murder in the First Degree and Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm in a Vehicle in the Second Degree.