Lexington police say anonymous tip helped them make arrest in a deadly shooting

Lexington police say they’ve arrested a suspect accused of killing a 54-year-old man in June.

DeMonte Cowan, 44, has been charged with murder, wanton endangerment and possessing a gun as a convicted felon. He was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center just after 2 p.m. Tuesday and is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to jail records.

Police said an anonymous tip through Bluegrass Crime Stoppers led to the arrest. In June Bluegrass Crime Stoppers announced it would give people rewards of $2,500 in exchange for tips that help solve 2022 homicide cases.

Cowan is accused of killing Randy Wise in June. Police said they found Wise unresponsive with a gunshot wound inside a vehicle in the 900 block of Charles Avenue. Wise was pronounced dead on scene.

A witness also identified Cowan as the shooter, according to court documents, and provided information on the incident that was confirmed by evidence collected from the scene.

Court documents say a man was between Cowan and Wise during the shooting but was not hit.