A Mulberry man was arrested Monday in connection with one of two fatal shootings Sunday, according to Fort Smith police.
James Michael Eugene Shoemake, 22, was being held without bail Monday at the Sebastian County jail on one count of first-degree murder and one count of felony possession of firearm by certain persons, an online inmate roster shows. Shoemake is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Fort Smith police identified the victim as Jeremiah Allen, 22.
Detectives were called to a local hospital about 8 p.m. Sunday, police spokesman Aric Mitchell said. Allen died of a gunshot while being transported to the hospital, Mitchell said.
Mitchell described the shooting as "an isolated incident" with no immediate threat to the public.
Another homicide was reported in Hackett early Sunday.
The Sebastian County Sheriff's Office was notified of a home invasion and shots fired in the 300 block of Plum Street about 5:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Capt. Philip Pevehouse, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office.
The body of a 34-year-old white man was found in his bed. His name was being withheld pending notification of kin.
Witnesses in the home reported an unidentified tall, white male wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head entered the home by kicking in the front door, according to Pevehouse.
He hit a man inside the home with a baseball bat, police said.
The suspect then went upstairs to a bedroom and fired five to six shots at a second man, killing him, according to Pevehouse. The shooter left before deputies arrived.
A woman and three juveniles between the ages of 9 to 15 in the home weren't injured. The man hit with the bat required medical attention, according to Pevehouse.
The suspect's identity is unknown, Pevehouse said.
Both shootings remain under investigation by their respective law enforcement agencies.
Thomas Saccente can be reached by email at tsaccente@nwadg.com.