Davenport man charged after police say he helped Rock Island murder suspect

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. and DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - A Davenport man is facing charges after police said he helped Rock Island murder suspect, Derrick B Nephew Jr., 29, get a hotel room after a shooting.

That shooting left Omari Braxton, 21, of Rock Island, Ill. dead. Braxton was found dead Saturday afternoon from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Rock Island County coroner.

Steven Strickland 29, of Davenport was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with accessory after the fact and harassment of a public official or employee, according to court documents. Bond for Strickland was set at $2,300 cash or surety. Strickland is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on May 21 at 2 p.m. at the Scott County Courthouse. As of Thursday morning, Strickland remained in custody in Iowa.

On Sunday at 12:59 a.m., DPD responded to 6310 Brady Street to assist RIPD with an ongoing investigation. The charges against Strickland stem from this incident, arrest affidavits show.

Strickland knowingly assisted Nephew Jr., a suspect from a shooting, to avoid being captured by fleeing the scene with Nephew Jr., and then crossing state lines and getting a hotel room for Nephew Jr., police said. Strickland is also on probation and cut off his GPS monitor after the shooting.

Strickland also knowingly harassed uniformed police officers during a search warrant execution, police said. Then, Strickland lied to officers saying that Nephew Jr. was not inside of the hotel room, when police said Nephew Jr. was in fact found inside of the hotel room.

Nephew Jr. was arrested Sunday morning at 2:40 a.m. in connection with the shooting by the Davenport Police Department, according to a media release from the Rock Island Police Department. Nephew Jr. was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant.