photo by: Kansas Violent Offender Registry

Camdon J. Collins

Updated at 10:15 a.m. Monday, June 12,2023

A Lawrence man has been charged with obstruction in Douglas County District Court for allegedly aiding a 17-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a 14-year-old.

The man, Camdon Joe Collins, 20, faces one felony count of obstructing apprehension or prosecution by knowingly helping a person charged with a felony escape or avoid conviction or punishment. The charging document alleges that Collins aided Derrick Del Reed, 17, of Lawrence, on or about June 6.

Reed has been charged with one felony count of first-degree murder. He is alleged to have shot Kamarjay Shaw, 14, of Lawrence, in the 1300 block of Maple Lane sometime before 5 p.m. on March 18, as the Journal-World reported. Reed has maintained the shooting was in self-defense.

photo by: Images courtesy of the Lawrence Police Department

Images police released of Derrick Del Reed and the Chrysler 300 he was driving while police searched for him after the shooting of Kamarjay Shaw, 14, on March 18, 2023.

The charge was filed on Thursday, less than a week after a disruptive hearing for Reed led to a temporary lockdown of the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and pitted law enforcement against an angry crowd who had been ordered to leave the hearing after being disorderly in court, as the Journal-World reported.

Collins has yet to be arrested in connection with the charge. He was last scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a pretrial conference regarding one misdemeanor count of battery on a law enforcement officer in connection with an incident on Dec. 18, 2022, in the 1500 block of Lindenwood Lane, according to court records. He did not appear for that court date, but it was not clear in court records whether a warrant was issued.

Collins was convicted in 2021 of one count of felony criminal discharge of a firearm along with his brother, Jaren Bailey Collins, 21, of McLouth, as the Journal-World reported.

photo by: Contributed photo

Jaren B. Collins

The two men were originally arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for an incident on Jan. 4, 2021, but were later charged with the lesser felony of criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle. Camdon pleaded no contest to the firearm charge while Jaren pleaded no contest to aggravated assault not involving a weapon.

Camdon was granted probation in that case despite Kansas law requiring a prison sentence for anyone convicted of a felony involving a firearm. Jaren was granted probation, in accordance with Kansas sentencing guidelines.

Also charged in connection with that January 2021 incident is Javier Romero, 20, of Lawrence. Romero was a juvenile at the time and was charged with felony criminal discharge of a firearm. The case is still pending until the disposition of another case of Romero’s — an unrelated first-degree murder case, in which he is charged with killing 21-year-old Christian Willis in September of 2021 during an alleged drug deal. He was also charged in that case with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Romero is being held on a $1 million cash or surety bond.

According to a police affidavit for Romero’s arrest, Camdon and Jaren Collins were feuding with Romero and had exchanged gunfire at each other’s vehicles.

Jaren Collins was the center of the discord that occurred during Reed’s hearing June 2 when Shaw’s father, LaTouche Shaw, said that Jaren was sitting in the courtroom even though he was a witness in the case. LaTouche Shaw said he believed Jaren, who has not been charged with any crime in relation to Kamarjay, was involved in the March 18 incident with his son.

Jaren was taken into custody last week outside the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center after the judge cleared the courtroom. He was being swarmed by supporters of Shaw who were batting at him and yelling insults as he was being escorted into the building in handcuffs by multiple officers. Jaren was not booked into the Douglas County Jail after the incident, and no charges have been filed against him.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Jaren B. Collins, center, is detained after a self-defense hearing for Derrick Del Reed on June 2, 2023, at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the charges filed in the 2021 incident.