Little Rock police hold back charging son in father's shooting death

After reviewing witness statements and evidence from the scene, Little Rock police did not file charges against a man they said shot and killed his 53-year-old father Monday. The 23-year-old is not in police custody but could face charges pending a review of from the Pulaski County prosecuting attorney's office.

James Danthon Sparkman, 53, of Sweet Home was found dead at 7417 Vega Drive in southwest Little Rock Monday, according to a Police Department news release.

Officers went to the residence after receiving a tip from the Saline County sheriff's office that a homicide had occurred there, police said. A witness had come to the sheriff's office to report the homicide, the release said.

Police, who went to the property at 4:07 p.m., determined that the shooting had taken place earlier that day, according to a report. The report states that the suspect and several witnesses were taken to the 12th Street substation.

Investigators determined that James Daniel Sparkman, the victim's son, was responsible for shooting his father during a disturbance, according to a press release issued Tuesday. It said the 23-year-old had been released from police custody without charges.

The Pulaski County prosecuting attorney's office will review the case to determine whether charges should be filed, police spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan said.

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While he said he could not talk about the specifics of the case, McClanahan said there are a number of factors that go into why a department would not immediately charge a person with a crime.

"Had the officers had enough to charge, they definitely would have," he said.

He said investigators would rather take their time with possible criminal charges, rather than rush a case and lose it in court.

"It's easy to say that we want justice to be swift. However, we at the Police Department, we want justice to be correct," he said.

There are no restrictions on James Daniel Sparkman since he was not charged. McClanahan said police do not consider him a flight risk.

The review from the prosecuting attorney's office is meant to bring fresh eyes to a case file, he said.

"We have our most experienced attorneys looking at the homicide cases," said John Johnson, chief deputy prosecuting attorney.

Four attorneys will review the case file, he said, and additional attorneys will give input on the case if there are disagreements over what charges should be filed or whether any charges should be filed. The prosecuting attorney's office can also ask the police department to gather more information for the investigation.

Johnson said the attorneys provide the same degree of analysis regardless of the circumstances surrounding a case.

Metro on 11/16/2016

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