money 'All this was an accident': Alleged shooter offers defense in Fayetteville killing
A Columbus County man is accused of fatally shooting a 19-year-old after an argument in May, then driving off as her friends tried to save her life in the parking lot of a Fayetteville bowling alley, according to court documents.
Levon Junior Campbell, 27, of Riegelwood, is charged with first-degree murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, discharging a weapon into occupied property and possession of a firearm by a felon in the May 26 killing of Ayanna Thompson of Fairmont, police said. Thompson was shot in the parking lot of a bowling alley in the 3000 block of Fort Bragg Road about 11:45 p.m., according to court documents. She died at the scene, police said.
Friends of the victim told detectives Campbell drove them and Thompson from Fairmont to the bowling alley that night for a double date, according to the arrest warrant. The friends were smoking outside the bowling alley when Thompson and Campbell reportedly emerged in the midst of an argument, the warrant states. The group got into Campbell’s vehicle, Thompson seated in the front passenger seat, with Campbell allegedly pulling out a gun and shooting Thompson before pointing the gun at the other passengers, according to the warrant.
After Thompson’s friends exited the vehicle, bringing the injured woman with them, Campbell allegedly drove off, the arrest warrant states.
'I know he shot her'
Four 911 calls placed in the aftermath of the shooting painted a picture of desperate attempts to save the fatally-wounded Thompson, with the first call coming in at 11:47 p.m., according to 911 call recordings.
“This dude just shot this girl in the parking lot, and I think they just left her there,” a female caller said. “I don’t know what type of car, but he just sped off, and it’s a guy and a girl still in the parking lot, but I’m almost certain — I know he shot her.”
The caller reported the victim’s friends were holding a shirt to her stomach, where she had been shot. As the caller answered questions from the operator, sobs and screams could be heard in the background.
In another 911 call placed roughly three minutes after the first call, a woman called from across the street, telling the operator she was a first responder and wanted to help.
“I’m a medic,” the caller said, presumably addressing people at the scene. “Is she alive?”
'All this was an accident'
Campbell was arrested at his home the morning of June 22, nearly a month after the shooting. During his first appearance in court the next day, he smiled and laughed when asked to reenter the courtroom after accidentally being dismissed early, then listened quietly as a prosecutor recounted the circumstances of the shooting.
When Cumberland County District Court Judge Roslyn Hood asked Campbell if he had anything to say before she considered his bail amount, he offered a brief defense.
“I got nine kids. I got a job,” he said. “All this was an accident.”
Hood set Campbell’s bail at $500,000 secured on the first-degree murder charge and $25,000 secured on each of the other three charges. The judge ordered Campbell be placed on house arrest and pretrial monitoring if he made bail.
He remained in the Cumberland County jail as of Friday afternoon, jail records show.
Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville bowling alley death was 'accident,' alleged shooter claims
