Dominic Heal Arraigned on First-Degree Murder Charge in Shooting Death of Aveyun Smith

Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News : FAYETTEVILLE — Dominic Heal, a resident of Elkins, faced an arraignment in Washington County Circuit Court on Friday, where he pleaded innocent to a charge of first-degree murder. The 20-year-old defendant was granted a court date set for December 28th before Judge Mark Lindsay.

Heal, who resides at 1248 N. Willow Oak St. in Elkins, was taken into custody on October 16th on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, tampering with physical evidence, theft of a firearm, and theft of a motor vehicle. Currently, he remains incarcerated in the Washington County jail on a bond of $1 million.

The arrest of Heal relates to the shooting death of 22-year-old Aveyun Smith, a resident of Fayetteville, which occurred on August 15th. On that fateful night, law enforcement officers were dispatched to 920 N. Leverett Ave. following reports of a shooting just before midnight. Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered evidence of a crime but no individuals present. According to a police report, witnesses recalled seeing two men leaving the apartment complex, with one of them appearing to be injured. Subsequently, a family member transported Smith to Washington Regional Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

During the investigation, authorities found substantial amounts of blood and 9mm shell casings in the parking lot, on the sidewalk, and leading up to Apartment 817. Further examination revealed additional bloodstains inside the apartment. Eyewitnesses informed the police that a white minivan entered the parking lot, and shortly thereafter, a green laser was directed at Smith from the van before multiple gunshots were fired. These witnesses also stated that Heal had previously been seen with a handgun equipped with a green laser attachment.

Other individuals acquainted with the situation informed investigators that Heal had loaned a firearm to Smith a few days prior to the shooting. However, when Smith failed to return the weapon, Heal became increasingly agitated.

Video footage obtained from surveillance cameras confirmed the presence of a white minivan in the parking lot, departing immediately after the shooting. An officer from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission later discovered an abandoned white minivan in the vicinity of Bug Scuffle Road and Old Cove City Road on September 23rd. The minivan matched the description of a vehicle reported stolen from Fayetteville on August 23rd. Although the interior of the minivan had been set on fire, the damage was minimal. Moreover, an examination revealed a bullet impact on the passenger door, and a 9mm shell casing and bullet were recovered, consistent with the evidence found at the scene of the August 15th shooting.

On October 2nd, Heal was arrested in connection with breaking and entering, as well as theft of property. Subsequent to this arrest, investigators obtained multiple search warrants for Heal’s residence, leading to the discovery of a 9mm pistol with a green laser attachment, along with ammunition matching the evidence from the shooting.

According to the police report, Heal confessed to stealing the minivan. He claimed that while driving by the apartment complex, he observed Smith in possession of a pistol and believed that Smith had fired shots at the minivan. Heal admitted to firing several rounds towards Smith. Furthermore, investigators were informed that Heal intentionally set fire to the minivan in an attempt to destroy evidence.

[h4 class=”title”]More News[/h4]
[].