Aqaille D. Brooks
SALINE CO.— It appears that a couple of teens from out of the county exchanged gunfire on Johnson Street at Madison Street in Eldorado June 3.
According to information filed in the case, Eldorado officers Joel Stanley and Jerod Gott were dispatched to the 600 block of Madison Street at approximately 11:26 p.m. that evening on a call from Michael Marks.
Marks had advised dispatch that he had just heard what sounded like six gunshots, fired from a handgun.
Upon arrival Marks told officers he had been sitting in his living room watching television when he heard the gunshots.
He said he looked out the window and saw two males running, one taller black male in a red hoodie with the other man being shorter and wearing white.
While officers were talking with Marks, they were approached by Scott A. Pankey, who said that around 11 p.m. he heard gunshots and went outside onto his porch and the heard shots still being fired.
Pankey said he observed two males, one tall and thin wearing a red hoodie with the other described as tall and wearing a white tank top.
He said the men ran toward the trailer at 601 Madison St.
Pankey said the shots sounded like large caliber rounds.
While searching the area officers discovered two live .45 caliber rounds and one .45-caliber spent casing.
As officers approached the trailer a man came out and officer Gott ordered him to come to him but the man walked back inside the trailer.
Stanley contacted dispatch and had them reach out to Shelly Combs, whom Stanley knew lived at the trailer, and ask her to come outside.
Shortly thereafter Combs walked out of the trailer.
Following directions, she walked to Stanley and informed him that she had been asleep in the rear of the trailer and hadn’t awoken until she heard people running inside.
Combs did as asked and had everyone inside the trailer come out.
The first one out was identified as Tyrese A. Vinson, 15; the second was 18-year-old Aqaille D. Brooks; and the third was Brockton Copher, 18.
Seeing how Copher was the only white kid in the bunch and Brooks claimed the red hoodie was his and Vinson was wearing a white tank top, authorities focused on Brooks and Vinson.
After Combs signed a consent to search form, officers located a .45 caliber Highpoint in a black Nike bag in a closet at the west end of the trailer. There was also a white Samsung Galaxy cellular phone in the bag that lit up with a picture of Vinson on the screen.
Vinson admitted the bag was his and he and Brooks were handcuffed and taken into custody.
At about 2:37 a.m., after being read his rights, Brooks informed the officers that he had talked to a friend of Copher’s who had come up to Combs’ trailer and told him that two nights prior someone had said they were looking for him.
Brooks said that he and Tyrese Vinson walked down Johnson Street and that he had a 9mm handgun and Tyrese had a .45 caliber handgun.
Brooks said three black men were approaching him and Vinson and he asked one of them what he had in his pocket.
Then Brooks said he fired his 9mm into the air once and the three men fled and he and Vinson went back into the trailer and turned off the lights.
When asked Brooks at first said that he threw the 9mm into a creek and then said he didn’t know what he did with the gun.
At 3:33 a.m. Vinson’s mother Stephanie Samples, arrived at the Eldorado Police Department and after both she and Vinson were read their rights Vinson said he was walking down the street with Brooks when an unknown man started shooting at them.
Vinson said he shot back at the man several times with a .45 caliber handgun.
When asked if he saw the man, Vinson said he didn’t but that he saw fire from the end of the man’s gun.
When officer Stanley asked Vinson where he got the .45 Vinson said, “Poof right out of thin air.”
Stanley contacted Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center and advised of the charges against Vinson and was informed that Vinson had enough points to be detained.
Aqaille D. A. Brooks, 18, of 303 West Boulevard, Marion, was handed over to jail staff and booked on Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Reckless Discharge of a Firearm.
Cash bond in the case was set at $200.