EL DORADO -- Police continue their investigation into a shooting that left a 25-year-old man dead during a home invasion in June.
Xavier Q. Thrower was fatally wounded after at least one intruder broke into his residence at 2308 Helena St., fired shots and stole a purse.
A preliminary autopsy report from the state Crime Laboratory concluded that Thrower died from a single gunshot wound in his side, said Capt. Scott Harwell of the El Dorado Police Department.
Officers responded at 9:12 p.m. June 14 to a report of gunfire at the Helena Street residence, and upon arrival they found Thrower lying motionless on his stomach.
Thrower was transported by ambulance to Medical Center of South Arkansas, where he was pronounced dead.
Lt. Andrew Russell, public information officer for the Police Department, said previously that robbery was a possible motive, noting that the intruder stole a purse that belonged to a woman who was inside the residence at the time.
The woman told officers that she was in a bedroom when a man broke into the house and shots were fired. She said she ran from the bedroom to the bathroom and used her cellphone to call 911. However, the intruder pushed open the bathroom door and demanded her purse, the woman told investigators.
"She fell and the phone flew from her hand," Russell said. "He shot the phone, and he grabbed her purse and ran out."
Harwell said Thursday that Thrower and two other people were in the house when the shooting occurred. No other injuries were reported, and Harwell declined to identify the other people who were present, citing the ongoing investigation.
He said investigators have not been able to confirm many other details, including establishing a firm motive or identifying the gunman. Harwell said he hopes evidence analyses from the Crime Lab will provide more answers soon.
"We've got tons of evidence that we collected at the scene and submitted to the Crime Lab for processing and we're waiting for results," he said. "We did locate blood evidence in multiple places throughout the residence, and we hope those swab [samples] will give us some answers, at least.