MOTORIST SHOT; CAR CRASHES INTO BUILDING

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

A Pine Bluff man was found shot to death Wednesday afternoon inside a car that had hit the side of the Magnolia Apartments in the 4400 block of Union Street.

Chief Deputy Coroner Chad Kelley identified the victim as Michael Green, 36. Kelley pronounced Green dead at the scene at 1:21 p.m. of apparent gunshot wounds and said his body was sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office at Little Rock for an autopsy later Wednesday.

The death was the 14th of the year inside the Pine Bluff city limits and the 20th reported in Jefferson County.

Lt. Richard Davies said officers and emergency medical personnel were sent to the apartments at about 1 p.m., after a report of a shooting, and found Green, who despite efforts by medical personnel to revive him, died at the scene.

Authorities said Green was apparently driving west on Union Avenue, toward U.S. 79 (Blake Street) when someone fired numerous shots at the vehicle, shooting out the rear window. Several bullets struck the left side of the trunk.

A block east of where the car came to rest, authorities located multiple shell casings near the curb along with a coat. The items were photographed then taken into evidence.

A witness at the scene told a Commercial photographer the male suspect, carrying a pistol, ran east toward Apple Street after the shooting and police reported finding a handgun near the intersection of Apple and Union streets. A search of the area failed to locate the man.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, Davies said the investigation is continuing but no arrests had been made. However, police were looking for a person of interest, Desman Haywood, approximately 19 years old.

Davies asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Detective Division at 543-5111 or the Crime Hotline at 543-5110.

Davies said all calls will be kept confidential and a reward may be available for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or persons responsible.

The last slaying in Pine Bluff was on Sept. 9 when police found the body of LaRon Foots, 22, in the yard beside a vehicle at 1006 N. Maple St. Foots was pronounced dead of apparent blunt force trauma at 9:45 a.m. That slaying also remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.