HOT SPRINGS -- Two youths have been identified as persons of interest in the shooting of a high school student, the Garland County sheriff's office said Monday.
They were arrested Friday on outstanding warrants and are being held in the Garland County juvenile jail on unrelated charges, the sheriff's office said in a news release. The release did not provide the ages of the boys or the nature of the warrants.
"These two juveniles are considered persons of interest," the release said in relation to the shooting of the female student.
The girl had been shot "multiple times" and was found crawling across Housley Point Road in Hot Springs around noon Sept. 13.
Garland County dispatchers received a call at 12:07 p.m. that day about a female who had been shot and was lying in the road. She was airlifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where she was reported to be in critical but stable condition.
One of the first people to find her was a dump truck driver who was delivering materials down the road and stopped to help, the truck's owner, Michael McHenry, said.
Asked about reports that the shooting was the result of a carjacking, Undersheriff Jason Lawrence said authorities were investigating all possibilities.
The sheriff's office had issued a "Be on the Lookout" to other agencies and sought the public's help in locating a vehicle, which was identified as a maroon 2002 Honda CRV, in connection with the shooting.
A Hot Springs police officer on patrol found the vehicle abandoned in the 100 block of Spargo Street at 7:51 p.m. that day and notified the sheriff's office, which retrieved it, police Cpl. Joey Williams said.
The female student was enrolled in virtual courses online at Fountain Lake Charter High School, according to Steve Campbell, director of instructional services and federal programs coordinator for the Fountain Lake School District.
She also is enrolled at National Park Technology Center, according to a National Park College official.
State Desk on 09/25/2018