A homeless man was arrested at a Malvern hotel early Tuesday and charged in a shooting at a Hot Springs residence Monday night.
Eric Shaw, 40, who gave his address as "city streets," was taken into custody at 1 a.m. and charged with first-degree battery, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He remained in custody Saturday night and is scheduled to appear May 24 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, Hot Springs police responded to a shooting at a duplex at 211 Bayles St. at 8:15 p.m. Monday and found Robert Alexander, 53, lying in the front entrance to the residence bleeding from a gunshot wound in his torso. Alexander was transported by ambulance to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, where he underwent surgery.
A witness told police she was sitting in her residence when she heard two gunshots. She looked out the window and saw a "chubby" man crossing the yard and getting into a dark Pontiac Grand Am, police said.
Hot Springs police detective Mark Fallis spoke with Alexander's girlfriend, who said she arrived at the residence after the shooting and saw Alexander on the ground. As she attempted to help Alexander, he reportedly stated, "You know who shot me?" She asked who, and he replied, "The guy dating the stripper."
The girlfriend told police that she had met Shaw at Alexander's residence a couple of weeks earlier. Shaw was dating a woman named "Kim" and they drove a black Pontiac Grand Am, she said.
After developing information that Shaw had possibly fled to Malvern, Hot Springs police obtained an arrest warrant and contacted the Malvern Police Department for assistance. Malvern police located his vehicle at a Budget Inn at 304 E. Page Ave.
Shaw was taken into custody after exiting a motel room, the release said.
After Shaw was taken into custody, authorities discovered he had shot himself in the leg. He was transported to National Park Medical Center, where he was released a few hours later and was transported to the Garland County jail.
State Desk on 05/15/2016