CAMDEN — Shooting that left 2 dead may be a murder-suicide
GARLAND COUNTY - Authorities in Arkansas say a shooting that left two people dead and one injured early Friday was a murder-suicide, states Arkansas Online.
Garland County sheriff’s deputies responded shortly before 4 a.m. to the 6400 block of Park Avenue after a caller reported hearing shots and someone yelling for help, according to a news release.
Responders located a deceased male and female and an injured male at the location, the release states. All had gunshot wounds, authorities said.
The injured individual was transported to a nearby hospital, according to the release, where he was said to be still undergoing treatment Friday afternoon. The two bodies were sent to the state Crime Lab to determine the cause of death, according to the sheriff’s office’s statement. No names were released.
Investigators “are confident that the community is safe and no other persons are involved,” the sheriff’s office said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Teacher arrested after dispute, returns to work
LITTLE ROCK - A Little Rock teacher who was arrested after a dispute with a TV news reporter has returned to work, the school district said.
According to a police report, Mitchell McCoy, a reporter at NBC affiliate KARK-TV and Fox affiliate KLRT-TV, had questioned Lance Fritchman, 52, about social media posts that referenced race, among other topics, according to Arkansas Online.
The Little Rock School District’s McClellan High School lists Fritchman as a coach on its website.
Around 7 a.m. March 5, officers responded to the lower parking deck at the Victory Building, 1401 W. Capitol Ave., in reference to a terroristic threatening report.
Fritchman told police that he had gone to the building, which houses the TV news stations’ studio, as a result of McCoy’s reporting.
Police said Fritchman left several messages telling McCoy to “come out and let’s handle this man to man.”
Fritchman was later told to not call the reporter and was barred from returning to the Victory Building, the report states.
Officers were called again around noon that day but were not able to locate the suspect, according to authorities.
Pamela Smith, a Little Rock School District spokeswoman, said that Fritchman returned to work Tuesday. She refused to answer questions on whether the district took any action against the teacher, saying it was a “personnel matter.” The Arkansas Times first reported on Fritchman’s return to the district.
Woman charged with arson, fraud in house fire
LITTLE ROCK - A Little Rock woman was arrested Thursday on an arson charge that stemmed from a 2016 house fire, authorities said.
Arkansas Online is reporting that investigators determined that Kittie Louise Payton, 55, started the Nov. 1, 2016, fire at an unoccupied property she owned in the 3300 block of Pye Road in Little Rock, according to a news release from the Arkansas Insurance Department.
The investigation showed that the blaze was intentionally set by use of an accelerant, the release states. Payton had reportedly entered into a rental agreement with another person for the property and submitted an insurance claim to Allstate for fair rental value.
Authorities arrested Payton on a warrant Thursday morning, a report shows. She is charged with arson, fraudulent insurance act, property theft and criminal attempt, jail records show. She was free on bond as of Friday afternoon.