A West Memphis man wanted in a fatal shooting last month in Little Rock has been arrested in Illinois, authorities said Monday.
Illinois State Police said in a statement that Jerrold Howard, 30, fled from authorities late Friday night after they tried to stop his vehicle on Interstate 55 in the Springfield area, but he was later caught by a police K-9 when he abandoned the car and ran. He had a loaded handgun, the statement said.
A Little Rock police spokesman said extradition back to Arkansas was pending for Howard, who is accused of killing 25-year-old Blair Sims on Dec. 28.
Police said at the time that Sims died at a Little Rock hospital after being shot inside her apartment, 1221 Reservoir Road.
A witness who also in the apartment told investigators Howard was at the residence and an altercation involving Sims occurred, according to the police statement.
The witness told police she heard gunshots, saw Sims collapse with a gunshot wound and then saw Howard holding a handgun, the statement said. He "then ran out of the residence and left in an unknown vehicle," the statement said.
Police said after the killing that they were looking for Howard, who lives in West Memphis, on a warrant for first-degree murder.
