Police investigate late-night shooting of woman
A Hot Springs woman was reportedly shot once in the back late Thursday by an unidentified suspect firing from a vehicle as the woman was walk- ing across a parking lot on Albert Pike Road, Hot Springs police said Friday.
The victim, 55, was transported by LifeNet to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, and her injury was reportedly not life threatening.
According to a Hot Springs police news release and the incident report, shortly before 11: 30 p. m. Thursday police responded to 612 Albert Pike in reference to a shooting. Officers found four people surrounding a white woman who was lying on her side in a parking lot, bleeding from her right lower back.
The witnesses said they saw the victim walking in the parking lot and at the same time saw a maroon four-door sedan pull up and stop on Avery Street at its intersection with Albert Pike. The witnesses said a black male opened the door, leaned out with his arm extended and fired a gun multiple times.
“We were all sitting on the front porch when this woman comes walking by (the row of apartments). The next thing you know, this man is shooting at her from his car. It was pop, pop, pop several times,” a witness told the Sentinel-Record at the scene.
“I had already gotten into it with this guy earlier. He knew exactly what he was doing and who he was shooting,” he said.
The victim was hit once and the vehicle fled the scene, and was last seen headed eastbound on Albert Pike, the incident report said. Witnesses noted the back door window on the driver’s side was taped over as if the window was missing.
Witnesses in the area assisted the victim after the suspect fled. One woman supported the victim’s head on a pillow while another called for an ambulance.
Officers located five empty shell casings near the intersection of Albert Pike and Avery, the report said.
“This investigation is ongoing,” the release said. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 501-321-6789.