Man, 24, arrested in connection with Tuesday shooting

Thursday, March 17, 2011

photo Leslie Townsend.

A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with Tuesday's shooting of a man on Tunnel Boulevard, police said.

Leslie Townsend was arrested Wednesday afternoon and also is charged with aggravated assault, according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Jerri Weary.

He is accused of shooting Leon McKinney, 25, in the left hand while McKinney was sitting in his car at the intersection of Tunnel Boulevard and Pinewood Avenue about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday.

Townsend is the nephew of Robert Moore, who was killed Tuesday afternoon at 2302 E. 14th Street while he was sitting on the front porch of the residence, Weary said

Police believe McKinney and Townsend were former acquaintances who got into a series of arguments over the last year.

"The disagreement between the two spurred a series of arguments and fights that eventually turned deadly," Weary said.

After being shot, McKinney drove to Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery on his hand, according to the police report.

Police later found McKinney's car in the Woodlawn housing complex on Wilson Street, riddled with bullet holes and a leaking fuel tank, the report said.

Weary said there has been no evidence to show that the shootings are gang motivated, but police believe the shooting of McKinney is likely to be retaliation for the shooting death of Moore.