1 arrested, 1 sought in fatal shooting of 2-year-old girl in Little Rock

Larry Jackson, left, and Deshaun Rushing are shown in these Pulaski County sheriff's office photos.
Larry Jackson, left, and Deshaun Rushing are shown in these Pulaski County sheriff's office photos.

An arrest has been made in the killing of a 2-year-old girl in Little Rock, six months after her death and nearly four weeks after authorities increased the reward amount for information in her case.

The Little Rock Police Department said Tuesday that Larry Jackson, 17, of North Little Rock is being held on a charge of capital murder in the Nov. 22, 2016, slaying of Ramiya Reed.

At a news conference outside police headquarters, spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan said Jackson's arrest came after a tip Monday led to new information and the filing of a warrant in the homicide.

Officers are also seeking 21-year-old Deshaun Rushing in the case. He is wanted on similar charges.

Rushing was injured in a shooting last month in which a daycare worker was killed on Park Lane in Little Rock.

"This is a good example on a homicide case — that it's always being worked," McClanahan told reporters. "Whenever we get information on a case ... it doesn't matter. If you call in a tip, we're going to follow up on that tip, and we're going to see if that information is accurate."

McClanahan added that while the agency’s detectives are “skilled and good at what they do,” their efforts are not always enough to make an arrest.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the person who came forward has not requested the $50,000 reward offered for an arrest and conviction, he said.

An online inmate roster for the Pulaski County jail shows that Jackson was booked in at 2 p.m.

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Photos by Ryan Tarinelli

Previous arrests of Larry Jackson, Deshaun Rushing

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Photos by Pulaski County sheriff's office

Jackson also faces six counts of second-degree unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, records show.

Ramiya was fatally shot two days before Thanksgiving while riding in the back seat of a vehicle with her mother on South Harrison Street, police said. She was taken to UAMS Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

The reward for information in her case was initially set at $20,000, but that amount was raised to $40,000 in December and again to $50,000 earlier this month.

In April, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, citing a memo from City Manager Bruce Moore, reported that Ramiya’s shooting death intensified a long-standing feud between two rival groups.

That, in turn, contributed to a recent uptick in violent crime in Arkansas’ capital city, according to authorities.

Ramiya’s death was one of 42 killings recorded last year in Little Rock. As of Tuesday, 25 homicides had been reported by police in 2017.

The affidavit related to the 2-year-old's killing has been sealed, with police citing sensitive information as being the reason for limiting such information.

Anyone with information regarding Rushing's whereabouts is asked to call the Little Rock Police Department at (501) 371-4636.

Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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