Fayetteville man pleads guilty to accessory in 2020 homicide

A Fayetteville man who was the getaway driver in a fatal 2020 shooting pleaded guilty Wednesday in Cumberland County Superior Court to being an accessory to involuntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Andrew William Perez, 25, was sentenced to 19 months to 32 months in prison for the killing of 17-year-old Jaheem Tyler Smith. In exchange for the plea, a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder was dismissed.

According to Cumberland County Assistant District Attorney Josh Hall, Perez will get credit for the 18 to 20 months he spent in custody awaiting trial.

More: Fayetteville man arrested in January homicide

The shooting happened about 6 p.m. Jan. 7, 2020, outside an apartment complex on Tryon Drive in Fayetteville.

According to Hall, a Facebook argument between Diamond Monique Wallace, 20, and Jakayla Lashaie Burns, 22, escalated into a physical fight when Wallace went to Burns' apartment with five other people.

After the fight, Wallace left the apartment complex. It was then that Burns' friends, Perez and his co-defendant and cousin, 23-year-old Tahlique Devon McKinnon, arrived at the apartment complex, Hall said.

A short time later, Wallace returned with seven others, including the victim and Echon Handy, 22.

A fight then erupted between Smith, Handy and another man, Hall said, and during the fight, McKinnon allegedly got out of Perez's vehicle and began firing a Perez's.22-caliber rifle.

McKinnon allegedly fired about 10 times; Smith was struck five times, Handy was shot in the abdomen and Wallace was hit in the left arm, Hall said.

"Mr. Perez would ultimately later on tell law enforcement that he did not think that Mr. McKinnon, the shooter, even knew about the firearm being in his vehicle at the time," Hall said.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. Wallace was taken to the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center by EMS and Handy by a personal vehicle, he said.

Early in the investigation, a 16-year-old was charged in the shooting, but was cleared of all charges after McKinnon's arrest, Hall said after the hearing.

McKinnon, who remained in the Cumberland County jail without bail Thursday, is still facing charges of first-degree murder and two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill/inflict serious injury.

"I'm hoping that his case will be resolved next week," Hall said.

Crime Reporter Jack Boden can be reached at jboden@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jackboden5.

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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: The getaway driver in a fatal 2020 shooting has pleaded guilty