SPRINGDALE -- A 14-year-old boy underwent surgery Friday after he was shot twice in a drive-by shooting at 6:25 p.m. Thursday near Crawford Avenue and Marylyn Street, said Mike Glasgow, a neighbor of the boy.
Police spokesman Lt. Scott Lewis wouldn't release information about the boy's condition Friday. Police have released little information about the shooting.
At a glance
Springdale police continue to investigate the drive-by shooting of a 14-year-old boy at 6:25 p.m. Thursday near Crawford Avenue and Marylyn Street. The shooting may be related to a fight that broke out at the Kum and Go, 1010 N. Thompson St., just minutes before the shooting.
Source: Staff report
The boy was shot in the leg and hand, according to a police call report. He was riding his bicycle when he was shot, Lewis said Thursday.
Springdale police issued a news release late Friday seeking Hector Vega, 20, of Lowell. Police believe Vega was involved in the shooting. They said he was a passenger in a silver car with Arkansas tag 999TXW seen leaving the scene of the shooting. They encourage anyone who knows where Vega may be to call the department at 479-751-4542.
Family members of the boy didn't want to talk because they said they were afraid of possible gang-related reprisals. Police don't know if the shooting is gang-related, Lewis said.
Someone called police at 6:25 p.m. Thursday and said a person in a silver vehicle "shot another person on a bike," according to a police call report provided by Lewis on Friday. Several people were in the vehicle, the report shows.
The gun hadn't been found by Friday afternoon, and no arrests were made, Lewis said.
Glasgow and neighbors heard two gunshots, Glasgow said. He had been watching TV but went outside. The boy, who lives nearby, ran toward him, yelling "I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding," Glasgow said.
The boy was bleeding from under his shorts and had wounds in his legs, Glasgow said. Glasgow told the boy to lie down in his yard. Glasgow then called 911, he said.
The boy was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Lewis said. About eight police cars arrived at Glasgow's home and officers blocked roads and combed over the yard, Glasgow said. Crime tape went up around Glasgow's house and several others.
The case remains under investigation, Lewis said.
Police are looking into whether a fight that happened minutes before the shooting is connected, he said.
The fight at the Kum & Go, 1010 N. Thompson St., involved four to five youths, some of whom fled on foot west on Backus Avenue, according to police records.
A police call report mentions two people leaving the convenience store in a silver vehicle.
In a news release, Lewis said there's no evidence the two incidents are connected, but police will continue to investigate any possible connection.
Two people were arrested in connection with the fight and questioned, Lewis said.
Octavio Soltero, 18, of 1101 N. Pleasant St., Apt. D, was arrested in connection with engaging in criminal gang activity, fleeing and two misdemeanor offenses. He was at the Washington County Detention Center with a $7,500 bond Friday.
Soltero and a boy were arrested running west on Backus Avenue. Lewis wouldn't release the boy's name because he's a minor.
The police officer chasing the youths "recognized" them and drew his stun gun on the boy, according to an arrest report. Police found a knife on the boy, the record shows.
The boy was arrested in connection with fleeing, two counts of aggravated assault, carrying a knife as a weapon and continuing a criminal gang enterprise, according to an arrest report. He was taken to the juvenile detention center, according to the report.
The shooting and fight has shaken the small neighborhood, Glasgow said. The area generally has low crime, but this drive-by happened during daylight hours, Glasgow said.
The shooting is the latest in a string of violence in Springdale, including two fatal, gang-related shootings earlier this year.
Glasgow said he hoped police would patrol his neighborhood more and respond quicker than they have in the past few years. Neighbors are worried about gang crime, he said.
"We don't want this crap happening in our neighborhood," Glasgow said.
NW News on 06/27/2015