NLR teen arrested in Wal-Mart shooting

This photo of Joshua Loften was provided by the Pulaski County jail.
This photo of Joshua Loften was provided by the Pulaski County jail.

— North Little Rock police have arrested a suspect in a purse-snatching turned fatal shooting Sunday afternoon in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

About 3 a.m. Monday, officers arrested 17-year-old Joshua Leallen Loften of North Little Rock and charged him as an adult with capital murder.

Police say Loften was attempting to rob a woman at the Wal-Mart Super Center at 4450 E. McCain Blvd. when he turned and fired several shots toward bystanders as he fled. One shot struck Dean Worden, 40, of Jacksonville and killed him.

The investigation indicates that no one was pursuing the thief as he ran, police say

It was the 10th homicide of the year in the city, according to police.

Sunday evening, police said they located a silver Chrysler 300 believed to be the getaway vehicle. Kuykendall said store security cameras trained on the parking lot aided in the investigation. Officials would not say where the car was found.

Police said the man acted alone while trying to snatch the purse, but that they believe someone else was driving the car that took him away from the scene. Kuykendall said that as far as he knew, purse snatching has not been a problem in the area.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

Thank you for coming to the Web site of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We're working to keep you informed with the latest breaking news.

Information for this story was contributed by Kayla Carrick of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Upcoming Events