Man's body found in Little Rock, 5th homicide in weekend

Police on scene of a homicide on Lorreto Lane on Sunday.
Police on scene of a homicide on Lorreto Lane on Sunday.

Little Rock police responded to the city's fifth homicide in 53 hours Sunday morning after a 911 caller reported a body facedown on the ground in a southwest city neighborhood, a police spokesman said.

Officers responded at 8:40 a.m. to 7417 Loretto Lane, where a 911 caller reported seeing a body near a grove of trees, police spokesman Lt. Michael Ford said. According to Ford, the victim appeared to have been shot.

“It was a recent homicide,” Ford said. “Probably in the last 24 hours. He had a gunshot wound to the body.”

Ford said the man was in his late 20s or early 30s and was found wearing bluejeans and a sweatshirt. Investigators had not yet identified him as of Sunday night.

There is no indication this homicide is connected to a triple homicide on West 14th Street Friday night or a fatal shooting Friday morning on West 17th Street.

When asked if this was the most violent weekend in Little Rock this year, Ford said he would have to look at the data, but that “it does feel like the most violent weekend we’ve had in some time.”

“That is a lot of grieving families right before the holidays,” Ford said. “Our hearts and our prayers are going out to the families.”

The city announced on Sunday that the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of any person involved in the triple homicide had been increased.

Ford said city officials made the decision to increase the reward money from $10,000 to $50,000.

“We do usually get increased community participation when the reward is increased,” Ford said.

Ford said homicide detectives were working long hours in an effort to close these cases.

“We realize there is an upticktick and we are on it,” Ford said. “We have to do something better as an agency and a community to not have these homicides happen.”

Ford said he couldn’t release any information surrounding the possible circumstances that led to the homicides.

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