LITTLE ROCK — UPDATE:
A shooting suspect who police thought was holed up in a Little Rock home wasn't found inside after a search by SWAT officers.
Little Rock Police Department Sgt. Cassandra Davis said authorities did not locate 36-year-old Dexter Thrower inside 3919 St. James Court, where he was believed to have shot at three people earlier Thursday morning. No one was hit by the gunfire.
Witnesses told police they believed Thrower was still inside, which spurred authorities to bring in the SWAT team.
Davis said police are now turning their attention to a nearby wooded area, though she said Thrower could have driven off before police arrived.
"It's a possibility," she said. "If he's not in the woodline, that's a possibility."
Officers with K-9s are reportedly searching the wooded area. Officers are also preparing to conduct a more detailed search of the home. The first search focused solely on finding Thrower, Davis said.
Witnesses told police Thrower had access to a shotgun, a handgun and a rifle. He is to be considered armed and dangerous, Davis said.
EARLIER:
The SWAT team is on the scene of a home in Little Rock because police believe a gunman who opened fire earlier Thursday may still be inside it.
Little Rock Police Department Sgt. Cassandra Davis said witnesses told authorities that 36-year-old Dexter Thrower is inside a home in the 3900 block of St. James Court, a neighborhood near Shackleford Road.
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SWAT responds after shooting in LR
SWAT is on the scene after a shooting in a home in Little Rock in a neighborhood near Shackleford Road.
Authorities were initially called to the home before 8 a.m. Davis said police believe Thrower opened fire on a man and two women who were inside the home, where narcotics were reportedly being used.
Davis said Thrower became upset after he went to retrieve money from his room and couldn't find it. He accused the others of taking it and demanded that the woman strip so he could find it, Davis said.
Police say Thrower then opened fire at the others, identified as 34-year-old Michael Monroe, 32-year-old Deanna Smith and 48-year-old Glynnis Lawson. No one was hit by the gunfire.
At least one ambulance is on scene and officers were observed talking to a person in the back of it. Police were observed escorting Monroe from the area around 9:30 a.m.
St. James Court is blocked by crime scene tape and numerous police officers are on the scene.
Initial scanner reports indicated that three people had been shot and that the gunman was in a home in the area.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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