A man who was found fatally shot Wednesday in Mississippi County was involved in a yearlong exchange of violence among a group of people, Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson said.
Officers responded about 6 p.m. Wednesday to the First Street area in Blytheville after hearing gunfire, according to a news release from the Police Department.
Upon arrival, police learned that Keodrae Jones, 22, had been shot and was inside a residence in the 100 block of East Cherry Street, Thompson said in the release. Jones was transported to a local hospital where he died later, the chief said.
Police have not named a suspect in the shooting.
"Jones' family members believe that Keodrae was targeted, and they implicated subjects in this shooting that are also suspected of being involved in a series of violent confrontations involving Jones and or his associates since late 2017," Thompson said. "During this time officers of the Blytheville Police Department have reached out to other family members of the victims and suspects to help progress the investigations and stop what is suspected to be retaliatory violence."
The incident is the fourth homicide in the town of about 14,000 over the past three weeks, and the second fatal shooting this week.
"While that is alarming and concerning to the Blytheville Police Department and citizens of Blytheville, three of the previous cases have resulted in arrests and none of these homicides are connected to each other," Thompson said.
Brittney Sims, 26, of Blytheville was shot and killed Tuesday in a residence in the 1200 block of Hearn Street.
Police arrested Eric Bragg, 37, on Tuesday in connection with Sims' death, and he was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by certain persons. Bragg remained in the Mississippi County jail Thursday in lieu of $500,000 bond.
A paternity complaint against Bragg had been filed recently by the Office of Child Support Enforcement in relation to Sims' two children.
A 17-year-old juvenile was arrested Feb. 13 in the Feb 11 fatal shooting of Travis Pearson, 35, of Blytheville. Details of the teen's bail were not available at the time of arrest.
Police are also investigating the Feb. 6 shooting death of Jerry Marshall, 63, of Blytheville. Officers said Granville Murphy, 26, of Mississippi and a 14-year-old boy were arrested in Marshall's death.
Thompson declined to comment on the specifics of the recent homicides, citing ongoing investigations.
State Desk on 02/22/2019