LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock police had no suspects and few details Thursday night as homicide detectives investigated the shootings of two men who died and that of a woman who is expected to survive.
Department spokesman Sgt. Cassandra Davis said an anonymous 911 caller reported that two people were injured inside a home at 2512 S. Summit St. When police arrived about 3:30 p.m., they found two men and a woman in the living room of the house.
“One was obviously deceased, another was shot in the upper body and later died at the hospital, and the female was shot in the shoulder,” Davis said.
On Thursday, police were releasing the name of only one of the dead men and the woman. Robert McDonald, 57, lived at the address where the shooting occurred. He was transported to UAMS Medical Center, where he died.
Rose Hill, age unknown, of 126 College Park Circle in North Little Rock was taken to the hospital after being shot in the shoulder, Davis said.
McDonald’s daughter identified her father, Davis said. The daughter was not able to shed any light on what may have happened earlier in the day, Davis said.
About 4:15 p.m ., paramedics were working on Hill in an ambulance in front of the house. A detective was also in the ambulance attempting to question her about what happened. Davis said she was refusing to talk.
Hill is expected to survive, Davis said. She was still not talking about 10 p.m. Thursday.
About 6 p.m., Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper was working to identify the second man but said it could be today before authorities know who he is. Camper described him as a middle-aged black man who had been shot in the upper torso.
Camper said it appeared that the man who was found dead at the scene had been shot inside the home. He could not comment on whether the others were shot inside the home or somewhere else, because both had already been taken to the hospital when he arrived.
The bodies of McDonald and the unidentified man will be taken to the state Crime Laboratory today.
Davis said police were tracing the 911 call to try to determine who called and what the caller knows about the shootings.
Officers were canvassing the neighborhood Thursday evening to see whether anyone knew the victims or whether anyone had witnessed the shootings or heard the gunfire.
According to Davis, authorities don’t know what time the shootings occurred because no one reported them when they happened. Police were also checking the registration of a car that was in the driveway at the residence to see whether the car’s owner lived at the South Summit Street address.
Davis said a weapon was not found on the scene, leading detectives to believe none of those found shot was the culprit.
Police Chief Stuart Thomas arrived at the house about 5:30 p.m. with City Director Ken Richardson to check on the progress of the investigation.
Richardson said there weren’t any special circumstances that brought him out to the shooting. “I’m always interested and concerned when something like this happens,” he said.
The homicides were the seventh and eighth of the year in Little Rock.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 02/04/2011