A Pleasant Plains man behind bars is facing four felony counts, including first-degree murder, after the killing of a man in a Sunday night shooting incident outside a Batesville convenience store.
According to the probable cause for arrest affidavit, Batesville Police officers were dispatched to Hawg’s Exxon around 7 p.m. Sunday in reference to a “shots fired” call.
Upon arrival, the officers found a man identified as Andrew Milton, 34, lying on the ground next to his vehicle. Upon assessment of Milton, he was found to have multiple gunshot wounds to his torso area.
While the officers were administering immediate treatment, the affidavit said Milton told officers the person who shot him was Casey Evans, and Evans had left the area in a red Ford F150.
Milton was transported to the White River Medical Center where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
A description of the F150 Evans entered was given to surrounding agencies, and a deputy with the Independence County Sheriff’s Department later observed a vehicle matching the F150.
Upon performing a traffic stop on the vehicle and securing the driver of the truck, deputies found Robert Casey Evans, 46, in the bed of the truck, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the rear of his left shoulder. Evans received treatment and was released to the custody of the Batesville Police Department.
In an interview with BPD investigators, Evans said that after he and his friend arrived at Hawg’s, Evans then got into Milton’s vehicle where the two talked about “drugs and money” and then that led to an argument. Evans said after he exited Milton’s vehicle, he walked around to the driver’s side, where Evans told investigators he found Milton pointing a black firearm at Evans. That’s when Evans said he pulled out a silver Smith & Wesson five-shot revolver and shot Milton five times, according to the court information. Officers say Milton managed to get off a shot at Evans as he was running away to the F150, striking him in the shoulder.
In the interview, Evans said, “He [Evans] wished had shot him [Milton] in the face,” and then asked investigators if Milton was still alive. According to the affidavit, when officials told Evans that Milton had died, Evans said: “He’s dead, there ya go, good!”
During the interview, Evans advised investigators he had been convicted of murder when he was 19. Upon performing a criminal history search, it was found Evans had been charged with manslaughter on July 5, 1995, in Mississippi.
The F150 in which Evans was taken to the Batesville Police Department, and after a search warrant was granted, a silver Smith & Wesson revolver was discovered. And the affidavit also said that in the vicinity of where Evans had been in the truck, a small clear plastic zip-top bag containing a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine was found.
Evans (pictured above) is charged with one count of murder in the first degree; simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms; possession of firearms by certain persons; and possession of a controlled substance — all felonies.
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