Stray bullet kills Little Rock day care worker; gunfire one of 2 drive-by shootings just minutes apart

Chris Maxwell clutches his child Thursday afternoon after retrieving him from police at 1805 Park Lane, where his aunt, who operated the day care, died in a drive-by shooting. Police said the 60-year-old woman was killed by a stray shot when a neighboring house was targeted. No children were hurt. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/galleries.
Chris Maxwell clutches his child Thursday afternoon after retrieving him from police at 1805 Park Lane, where his aunt, who operated the day care, died in a drive-by shooting. Police said the 60-year-old woman was killed by a stray shot when a neighboring house was targeted. No children were hurt. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/galleries.

A day care worker was fatally struck by a stray bullet in one of two drive-by shootings Thursday afternoon in Little Rock, police said.

The fatal shooting, which happened within about 20 minutes of another shooting nearly 2 miles to its south and east, was reported at 2:50 p.m. on Park Lane, police spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan said.

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Photos by Brandon Riddle

When officers arrived at 1805 Park Lane, they found 60-year-old Shirley Jackson shot inside the in-home day care, McClanahan told reporters at the scene.

Jackson, who lived at the home, was taken to a local hospital, where she later died, police said.

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Nine children believed to be under the age of 6 and three adults, including Jackson, were in the home at the time of the shooting, according to authorities.

McClanahan said the children were turned over to their parents shortly after the shooting.

A second injured person linked to that shooting, Deshaun Rushing, was found two houses south, at 1901 Park Lane, and is believed to have been the gunmen's target, the spokesman said.

Rushing, who is in his early 20s, was shot in the upper leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

About 20 minutes earlier Thursday, officers were called to another drive-by shooting near West 24th and Marshall streets.

In that shooting, 21-year-old Keshawn McElrath was wounded in the shoulder and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, said police spokesman officer Steve Moore. McElrath is expected to recover, according to reports.

[HOMICIDE MAP: Interactive map shows killings so far this year in Little Rock, North Little Rock]

It was not immediately clear whether McElrath was shot at the intersection or at another location.

More than 35 shell casings were found at the intersection and logged by detectives.

As of Thursday evening, police did not know whether the two shootings were linked.

Jackson's death is the 19th homicide of the year in Little Rock. It was the second homicide in as many days in the city.

On Wednesday, two 17-year-old boys were shot, one fatally, in a robbery at Midtown Park Apartments at 6115 W. Markham St., police reported. Police released the teens' ages but not their names.

A resident of the apartment building, Siddik Haidara, 18, told police that two men had tried to rob him, and "gunfire was exchanged," according to the report.

No charges had been filed in that case late Thursday.

Little Rock police said the killings are part of an increase in violent crime that began in late 2016 and continues this year.

As of Thursday, there had been 10 more homicides recorded this year than for the same period last year. The Police Department had recorded 67 nonfatal shootings as of April 17, a 91 percent increase compared with the 35 logged by the same date last year.

McClanahan said Thursday's shootings are a reminder that the community must stay vigilant and proactive.

"The fact is that these homicides in our city do affect a lot of people," McClanahan said. "People are losing friends and losing loved ones that have nothing to do with these crimes that are going on in our city."

The shootings this week caught the attention of the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, which posted Thursday on Facebook: "It's time to hold Bruce Moore and the City Board of Directors Accountable! Over 70 Officers down, outdated equipment, and no plan to retain current senior officers or detectives! Don't believe their hype! Another homicide last night and one today at a daycare!" It then said in all-capital letters: "When is enough, enough!"

Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police President officer John Gilchrist said he believes having more officers could improve public safety, but that police need help from the community, as well.

The Police Department is authorized to hire 590 officers and has roughly 70 vacancies. The department, like many other law enforcement agencies across the country, has struggled to fill its ranks for years.

Information for this article was contributed by Scott Carroll and Ryan Tarinelli of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Metro on 04/28/2017

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A child waves to her mother as she is taken from a day care at 1805 Park Lane in Little Rock where a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting Thursday.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Little Rock Police investigate the scene of a shooting at West 24th and Marshall streets in Little Rock on Thursday afternoon.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Map showing the location of two recent shootings in Little Rock

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