Pine Bluff police count four killings in three days; no connection known

PINE BLUFF, Ark.—Police in south-central Arkansas have responded to four killings in a span of three days.

Jamonte Smith, 20, was fatally shot in the chest late Tuesday at a Pine Bluff residence, according to police. Smith’s death marks the fourth fatal shooting in Pine Bluff that officers have investigated since Sunday.

Pine Bluff Police Department spokesman Richard Wegner said Smith was taken to a hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

Officers arrested Lecole Wilson, 20, on first-degree murder charges in Smith’s shooting death. She will be in court for a probable cause hearing later this week. Jefferson County jail records don’t list an attorney for her.

The string of deaths started Sunday morning after police responded to a shooting involving 29-year-old Raymond Buchanan, who died after he was approached by as many as four people. Authorities said that at least one of the individuals fired gunshots. Buchanan’s body was sent to the State Crime Laboratory on Monday for an autopsy.

The shooting was followed by another case of fatal gunfire early Monday. Police found Antonio Brown, 36, dead inside a Pine Bluff home. Two children and a woman were also hurt.

Officers were also called Monday night to the scene of another shooting, where they found Corey Pitts, 26, unresponsive, police said. He was taken to a hospital where he died. Police are questioning a 29-year-old man suspected of firing at Pitts during an altercation. The suspect hadn’t been arrested as of Tuesday.

Police said there isn’t any immediate indication that the homicides were related.

There have been 16 homicides reported in the city this year, three fewer than this time last year, according to police figures.