Little Rock police were searching for Kenjata Daniels, Jr. on Monday in connection with a shooting that left a 7-year-old Pine Bluff girl dead over the weekend.
Daniels is wanted for capital murder and a terroristic act following the deadly shooting of Chloe Alexander, according to a social media post from the Little Rock Police Department.
Chloe was killed Saturday morning near the Little Rock Zoo in what police described as an "isolated incident involving two acquaintances engaged in an apparent dispute."
Posts on social media indicated Chloe and family members were headed to the zoo when the shooting occurred in the 700 block of Fair Park Boulevard.
Hours before police named Daniels as a suspect Monday, community organizers called on the public during a news conference to aid police in their search for suspects.
Rev. Benny Johnson, founder of Arkansas Stop the Violence, said during the news conference that anyone withholding information about the shooting bears a share of the guilt.
"I just pray ... that the person or persons who did it won't be able to rest, they won't be able to sleep in the morning, at midnight. They won't be able to sleep at all," Johnson said. "We need justice for Chloe."
Organizers told community members to watch for social media comments that might reveal the identities of those involved in the shooting. Gunmen may brag about taking lives online, Johnson said, although he said he was not aware of anyone claiming credit for Chloe's death.
Chloe's family members were attending funeral arrangements, Johnson said, while he and leaders from other community groups held a news conference at Shiloh Baptist Church in North Little Rock.
Chloe, who was planning to spend the summer with her grandmother, didn't have the chance to graduate from elementary school before she was gunned down, said Walter Crockran, director of Arkansas Stop the Violence.
"Her and her mother were very close," Crockran said. "[Chloe's mother] won't ever be able to hear her voice again."
While mass shootings garner more media attention, Ben Hall of Moms Demand Action said Chloe's killing was indicative of the daily toll of gun violence in America.
Passing legislation would be an important step in curbing shootings, according to Tara Shephard, Democratic nominee for state House District 79.
Background checks, red flag laws and age restrictions for purchasing firearms are all measures Shephard said she would consider at the state Capitol. Lawmakers also could keep Arkansans from turning to violent crime, Shephard said, by reducing poverty and improving the state's education system.
But addressing shootings will ultimately require involvement from all community members, Shepherd told those in attendance.
"We all have a voice in this state, and we can all work together to make change for the betterment of everybody," she said. "We all want to see our children grow up. We all want to see our families live their best lives. We all want to see our communities thrive."
Jacqueline Smith, with Hope Arkansas, called for solidarity in addressing gun violence. Smith, who recently lost a son in a shooting, motioned around the church, saying she would have liked to have seen more lawmakers and community organizers present at Monday's gathering.
"We came together here, but look at the pews," she said in an interview following the conference. "Where are the prosecutors? Where are the U.S. senators? Where are the Congress people?"
Tara Shephard (center) talks about the death of 7-year-old Chloe Alexander, alongside Charles Williams (left) and Bennie Johnson (right) with Arkansas Stop the Violence on Monday, May 30, 2022, at Shiloh Baptist Church in North Little Rock. Alexander was fatally shot near the Little Rock Zoo on Saturday. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)