A 17-year-old was shot to death, and two others were injured -- one also by gunfire -- early Saturday morning, according to the Pine Bluff Police Department.
Authorities said that at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, police saw a gray, Toyota van run a red light at Harding Avenue and Olive Street, traveling fast. Police said several males exited the van and said their friend had been shot. Officers then followed the van to the emergency room at Jefferson Regional Medical Center where the males said they had been at The Spot at 111 W. Fifth Ave.
Officers then went to that location and found what they said was the crime scene, between Fourth and Fifth avenues to the west of The Spot, which is described online as a downtown bar and restaurant.
One 17-year-old, whose name was not released because of his age, was said to have suffered a severe gunshot injury. He was taken to Arkansas Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:38 a.m., police said. Another 17-year-old was shot, police said, but the injury was not life-threatening. And an 18-year-old, Kyrone Sims Jr., was struck by the vehicle carrying the victim as it sped away from the shooting, police said. Sims suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his face and right eye, police said.
The Pulaski County Coroner office said the 17-year-old's body will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for an autopsy for official cause and manner of death, according to a news release from the police department.
There is no suspect information at the time of this release. Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call the detective office tip line at (870) 730-2106, the detective office at (870) 730-2090 or the dispatch center at (870) 541-5300. A reward is offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in all Pine Bluff homicides.
This is the 10th homicide in Pine Bluff.
The police department's public information office apologized in an email to media Monday morning regarding the Saturday incident, saying the office had not been informed of the homicide until Monday.