Little Rock – One person is dead, another seriously injured, and a third is in custody following a double shooting in west Little Rock Monday morning.
Authorities say the incident occurred around 10:15 a.m. at a U.S. Army Navy Career Center inside the Ashley Square Shopping Center at 9112 North Rodney Parham Road. According to Lt. Terry Hastings with the Little Rock Police Department, two enlisted soldiers standing outside the office were hit when the unidentified suspect drove up and began shooting.

Both of the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of the victims died a short time later, according to police.

The suspect led police on a brief pursuit towards downtown Little Rock, before being taken into custody in the area of the Interstate 30/630 interchange.  Authorities searched the vehicle and found an assault rifle, Hastings said. A bomb squad was called in, as police were concerned about two bags in the vehicle, but no explosives were found, he said.

Hastings said a little after noon that investigators had not yet questioned the suspect. Police were still at the recruiting office
processing evidence from the crime scene.

Police are trying to determine a motive in the shooting. Hastings said he did not know whether the recruiting office was specifically targeted by the attacker or randomly chosen.

Neither the victims nor suspects were named by authorities.

The FBI (web) has opened an investigation into the incident, said Steven Frazier, spokesman for the agency’s Little Rock office. “Based on what we find, we will determine whether there is any federal jurisdiction to prosecute,” he said.

According to Army Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis, the two victims were not recruiters, but part of a recruiting program called “Hometown Recruiting Assistance.” Artis says recruiters use soldiers to tell their stories and talk to potential recruits while they are visiting or based back in their home region.

The two victims were just out of basic training, he said, and had not been deployed.

Raw Video: Witness Interview

Raw Video: Shooting Scene

Scene Video: Suspect’s truck on I-630.