HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. — State police are investigating a homicide that happened on North 6th Street in West Helena, Mayor Kevin Smith said.
Arkansas State Police was requested to assist local law enforcement in the investigation into the death of Eddie Earl Williams. Authorities found Williams dead inside a residence at 332 North Sixth St.
Law enforcement believes Williams was struck by gunfire; however, his body is being examined at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory where a determination will be made on the cause of death.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified said he heard 10 to 12 gunshots Monday night. When he knocked on his neighbor’s door the next day to check on him, he said he noticed bullet holes in the house and asked a neighbor to call the police.
Another neighbor expressed his anger about his neighbor being shot. He said they heard a lot of gunfire and alerted police. He said the victim was well known and loved by everyone in the neighborhood.
“We knew the victim,” Scott Williams said. “He was a good man. Everybody in the neighborhood knew him. Nobody had any problems with him.”
Williams said the murder of his neighbor is a senseless crime, and it is shocking to people who live on Sixth Street in Helena-West Helena.
“People had not seen him, and that was unusual, and somebody called in a welfare check, is my understanding, and the police went and found the body,” Williams said.
Williams said he is outraged at the senseless violence and said he hopes the perpetrator is held accountable.
“We want the people to stand up, and they are doing so. Now, whenever there’s a problem, you’ve got multiple people calling about it. People are turning in tips, left and right, and things are changing,” Scott Williams.
