Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey, responding to a shooting near Asher Avenue and Fair Park last night, fired a shot at the shooter. HIs shot apparently hit a police car, but an arrest of the shooter, who left another woman wounded, was made.
Little Rock police and city officials didn’t respond to requests for details until mid-afternoon today and never provided a copy of the incident report.
Multiple sources confirmed to me this morning that Humphrey fired the shot. He had said earlier in the week that he’d join officers on patrol New Year’s Eve in the effort to hold down violent crimes in the city.
The incident began with two women fighting in the parking lot of a convenience store. One of them shot the other one. At that point, an arriving officer (Humphrey) fired at the shooter. The LRPD initially only confirmed that an officer fired a shot and that the State Police had been asked to investigate because of the use of force by an officer.
I put questions to Humphrey, Mayor Frank Scott, who’d gotten involved in the city’s handling of the matter, and others, but received no response.
It is customary in police use of force cases to suspend an officer with pay while the incident is investigated. If that’s the case here, Assistant Chief Crystal Young-Haskins would be in charge in the interim. Firing at another armed person putting others at risk would typically be found to be justified.
The mayor has promised transparency and accountability, particularly about police issues. One question today is whether de-escalation of the situation — a recent mantra of Chief Humphrey — was possible before a shot was fired. Also the safety of opening fire on a scene in which multiple people were present. Also whether he wore a body camera that captured the shooting and whether he was patrolling in a police vehicle or an unmarked car. (He apparently was driving a personal vehicle.)
An arrest was made in the shooting and Humphrey was interviewed by State Police afterward at the 12th Street Station, a source tells me.
A side note: Despite the discouragement of “celebratory gunfire” by the chief and assistant chief at a news conference last week, such gunfire was reported all over the city last night including in the neighborhood near the Asher Avenue shooting scene. I have an unconfirmed report that what’s believed to be a round from such gunfire fell on a patrol car at the scene last night,
UPDATE: Here’s a State Police report on events:
A Little Rock police officer involved shooting incident that occurred last night (Friday, December 31, 2021) and an armed disturbance that preceded the officer’s arrival at 5103 Asher Avenue are both under investigation by the Arkansas State Police. Commanders within the Little Rock Police Department requested state police investigate the incidents since both are interrelated.<
At approximately 8:55 PM a Little Rock police officer on patrol traveling east on Asher Avenue witnessed a fight among a crowd outside the Super Stop convenience store and gas station. As the officer approached the store from Mary Street, Taz Hayes, 29, who had been among the individuals already on the parking lot, fired a gun into the disturbance. The shot left Kelecia Mayo, 22, wounded.
The Little Rock officer then fired his pistol at Hayes. A bullet later recovered by state police special agents from inside a vehicle on the parking lot will be examined at the Arkansas Crime Laboratory to determine if it’s the round fired by the officer. Hayes was uninjured and was taken into custody at the scene.
Mayo was transported to a Little Rock hospital and was initially assessed to be in critical condition.
State Police Special Agents assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division interviewed Hayes who was subsequently charged with battery (first degree) and incarcerated at the Pulaski County Detention Center.
Agents are continuing their investigation today and will later submit a case file to Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley who will use the investigation to assist him in determining whether the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer was consistent with Arkansas law.
Questions relating to the identity of the Little Rock police officer and his administrative status should be directed to the Little Rock Police Department Public Information Officer.
The LRPD was non-responsive for hours after the brief initial report of the shooting.
arktimes.com
