LR police seek community aid as homicide mark rises

LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock police say they need the community’s help combating crime after five people were fatally shot last week and the city recorded its 37th homicide of the year.

Lt. Steven McClanahan said the department is working to solve the homicides, but still needs residents to provide officers with any information they may have. McClanahan said the city tallied only 18 homicides this time last year, and the situation is “obviously not going in the right direction.”

“We have to have the community help us if we want to solve the cases,” McClanahan said.

No arrests have been announced in any of the recent shootings, including that of an Italian native who was killed while driving in an apartment complex parking lot.

McClanahan told The Associated Press police are still investigating the circumstances leading up to 31-year-old Carlo Marigliano’s death.

On Saturday, police found 55-year-old Evilio Castro-Alverez of Little Rock shot to death outside an apartment complex in

southwest Little Rock.

A North Little Rock man died after being shot Thursday, and a 30-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy were killed in separate shootings on Monday.

Twenty-eight people were injured in a Little Rock nightclub shooting earlier this month. No charges have been filed in that shooting.

Rapper Ricky Hampton, also known as Finese2Tymes, was performing when the shooting happened. Hampton and his body guard have been arrested on unrelated weapons charges.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced days later that a multiagency task force would be created to help combat violence in the city. The task force has not yet been implemented.