HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. – The past week has been a violent one for the town of Helena-West Helena.
Over the course of six days, four people were shot in three separate incidents, one of whom didn’t survive.
The first shooting happened Saturday night near North 7th and Baldwin. Police say a man was out walking when Edmond Reese approached with a gun and robbed the victim of his phone and Bluetooth speaker before shooting him in the leg.
“We heard about five or six shots. Then after that we came outside. I seen the body laying on the ground,” said Rosemary Parker.
The next shooting happened days later around the corner. Tuesday around 6 a.m., police say a 52-year-old man was walking home near North 6th and Garland when three men tried to rob him.
“As he attempted to evade this robbery, he was shot multiple times,” said Cpl. Wesley Smith with the Helena-West Helena Police Department.
The would-be robbers left their victim lying in the street and bleeding from his injuries. Days later, he’s still in critical condition at a Memphis hospital.
One of the suspected robbers, Dalton Pritchett, is in police custody, but investigators say they haven’t formally charged him yet.
The third shooting happened Thursday morning in the 100 block of Navijo. Police say a man broke down his girlfriend’s door and shot her before turning the gun on himself.
The suspect was airlifted to Memphis where he remains in extremely critical condition, but the victim didn’t make it. Police identified her as Akilia Smith.
Her alleged killer had been arrested earlier this year for attacking Smith, but police said Smith didn’t pursue charges.
Police said he could face a first degree murder charge in connection with Thursday’s shooting but that he hasn’t been charged yet.