WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — The West Memphis Police Department said one person was shot and killed Saturday morning, and they have not yet released much suspect information.
Police say the shooting happened just after 10 a.m. in the 500 block of 19th Street. Though police have not said who they’re looking for, neighbors said there seemed to be several people involved.
Jessie and Lizzie Williams live two doors down from the house where the shooting took place, and they were startled when they heard several gunshots in the morning.
“I told my husband, ‘You hear sirens? Someone is dead or something,'” Lizzie WIlliams said. “So I went to the door and told my husband, ‘Police are all around. Somebody got killed.'”
Lizzie Williams said she thinks she got a glimpse of those responsible through cameras outside her house. But she doesn’t know if her security cameras caught the suspects because she hasn’t been able to access the footage yet.
“There were three or four (people) running through here after the shooting stopped,” she said. “But who was it? Can’t tell who it was.”
The victim was pronounced dead on the scene.
The house was not far from both a fire station and a convenience store. Neighbors said they’re concerned about the violence in the area.
“There’s a shooting pretty often over here,” Lizzie Williams said. “I don’t know what’s happening. All we do is stay in prayer.”
Only a few weeks ago, a 16-year-old was shot and killed a few streets away while playing video games inside his grandmother’s house. It was one of four murders in West Memphis that week. At the time, police issued a warning to those committing violent crimes; they would do whatever it takes to put them in jail.
People in this neighborhood hope police follow up on that promise.
“I think they need to,” Lizzie Williams said. “Something needs to happen. Something needs to happen because too much is happening. It’s not safe anymore.”
The victim’s information has not be released at this time. Police said it is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Some neighbors said they thought the victim was selling drugs from the home, but police have not confirmed that.
Anyone with information on the shooting should call Crittenden Crime Stoppers at 870-732-4444.