1 arrested in death at Little Rock diner pleads innocent; 3rd man in custody

A Little Rock police officer works June 23, 2016, outside the Frontier Diner at 10424 Interstate 30 after a fatal shooting at the restaurant.
A Little Rock police officer works June 23, 2016, outside the Frontier Diner at 10424 Interstate 30 after a fatal shooting at the restaurant.

4:45 P.M. UPDATE:

The third man tied to a fatal shooting Thursday inside a south Little Rock diner is in custody, police said Monday afternoon.

Corey Lamonte Eskridge, 21, was arrested without incident, according to authorities. He had been considered armed and dangerous.

Check back with Arkansas Online for updates and read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

EARLIER:

One of two North Little Rock men arrested after the fatal shooting of a 77-year-old man Thursday inside a Little Rock diner during the peak lunch hour has been ordered held without bond.

Marquis Parker pleaded innocent to charges of capital murder and aggravated robbery during a video arraignment Monday morning before Little Rock District Judge Alice Lightle.

Parker and Adrian Avery, both 21, were arrested last week after police responded to the shooting about 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Frontier Diner, 10424 Interstate 30, on the city’s south side.

Harold Byrd of Little Rock was fatally shot once by a man who fired a pistol at the customer while he was standing at the diner’s cash register to pay for his meal, witnesses told police. He immediately fell to the ground and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report.

Another man — Corey Lamonte Eskridge, also 21 — is still sought in Thursday’s homicide, the 15th in Little Rock this year.

Eskridge is described by authorities as standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous and may have a semi-automatic pistol, police said.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call Little Rock police at (501) 404-3125.

Avery told police he believed two men he drove to the diner were there to pick up a food order rather than robbing the restaurant.

According to jail records, Avery is being held at the Pulaski County jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

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