Three Helena-West Helena men face charges after a 4-year-old pointed a loaded weapon at his mother's boyfriend and accidentally shot and killed him, police said.
Courtney Craig, 29, was fatally shot by the young boy Friday evening at the home of the child's mother, Yasmeen Brown, in the Phillips County town.
Police Chief James Smith said the boy picked up a loaded semi-automatic handgun while a group sat outside Brown's home. Smith didn't reveal the caliber of the weapon, saying the case was still under investigation.
One bullet struck Craig in the back, the police chief said.
Three men drove Craig by private vehicle to Helena Regional Medical Center in Helena-West Helena, where medical personnel pronounced Craig deceased.
The three men were arrested, Smith said.
Nicholas Harvey, 28, and Marvin Speed, 28, are each charged with possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence. Antwon Speed, 27, is charged with tampering with evidence.
Antwon Speed is the child's uncle.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Todd Murray of Helena-West Helena declined to comment on the case Tuesday.
"I am aware of the situation, but I won't make any statement until I've been fully briefed," Murray said.
The 4-year-old boy was taken to his grandmother's home and will not be charged with any offense, Smith said.
"He will have to undergo some type of counseling once he realizes what happened," Smith said. "It's tragic."
The three men hid the weapon, fearing the child would be either charged with shooting Craig or would be taken out of the home by the Arkansas Department of Human Services' Children and Family Services Division, Smith said.
Police recovered the gun used to shoot Craig, along with several other weapons in the home, Smith said.
Smith was named police chief of the Phillips County town of 11,320 on April 26, replacing former chief Virgil Green, who moved to Oklahoma to be with his family.
In his first 30 days as the police chief, Smith said his department has seen a 40 percent increase in the number of arrests and a 56 percent reduction in violent crime cases. He initiated "Operation Black Thunder," in which officers patrol high-crime areas in Helena-West Helena to reduce crime and show police presence.
Friday's shooting is the first "major crime" case he's dealt with, Smith said.
"It could happen anywhere. It happened all the time in Memphis," said Smith, a 20-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department.
"Helena-West Helena is a stricken area," said Smith, who grew up in the town. "It's a small town with poverty. We need to recruit more businesses to build the town back. We need to fix the education system as well.
"We need to put Helena-West Helena back on the map in a good way."
State Desk on 06/07/2017