Man shot, killed near North Little Rock skate park

Gunfire injures a second person in apparent early morning robbery attempt

North Little Rock Police investigate an early morning shooting at Riverview Skateboard Park at 2800 River Road in North Little Rock on Monday. Police said officers found two people shot, one fatally, and the other was transported to a hospital.
North Little Rock Police investigate an early morning shooting at Riverview Skateboard Park at 2800 River Road in North Little Rock on Monday. Police said officers found two people shot, one fatally, and the other was transported to a hospital.

A 22-year-old man died and a second person was injured early Monday in what authorities believe was an attempted armed robbery in a North Little Rock skate park.

Officers responded at approximately 3:45 a.m. Monday to a skate park on 2800 River Road where two men had been shot, according to a media release. Armand Van Tonder was dead upon officers' arrival.

The second person shot, 18-year-old Jacob Bynum, is in stable condition and expected to survive, spokesman Sgt. Amy Cooper said Monday evening.

Both men were found in the parking lot of the skate park, Cooper said. Investigators know who called 911 to alert officers to the shooting, Cooper said, but have not released that information. The location of the gunshot wounds, the type of firearms used in the assault, and whether the parking lot has security cameras are also not being released yet, Cooper said.

[2018 HOMICIDES: Details on killings reported so far in Little Rock, North Little Rock]

Preliminary information leads investigators to believe the two men were the victims of an armed robbery, Cooper said. Two men were robbed last week in the same skate park.

On July 10, three 21-year-olds were robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of the skate park, according to police documents. The three men told officers that they were riding their skateboards when a dark-colored Jeep pulled up to their vehicle. When they returned to their car to leave, the trio told officers that two people got out of the Jeep and asked for "cigarettes, weed and a lighter."

The three men said that when they told the robbers they did not have any of those things, the men demanded everything they had. The robbers left with three wallets, $600, identification and debit cards, three iPhones and two sets of keys. Officers said they recovered everything except for one wallet and one set of keys.

Officers are investigating the possibility of a connection between the two incidents, but Cooper said investigators could not confirm whether the incidents are related.

Van Tonder's death is the 10th homicide this year in North Little Rock. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made, according to a press release.

The Police Department is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the department's anonymous tip line at (501) 680-8439 or call the North Little Rock Police Department at (501) 758-1234.

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Metro on 07/17/2018

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