Update: Ten (10) individuals arrived at the park to participate in or view a fight. The individuals are 16 to
19 years of age and a mix of males and females. At some point, the 16-year-old male suspect of
Jonesboro brandished a handgun. When this occurred, 18-year-old Eric Pederson of Mountain
Home attempted to remove the handgun from the suspect. During the struggle, the victim was
shot in the leg.
During the investigation, investigators learned the handgun was stolen from a residence on
Gregg Road. Gregg Road is near Johns Drive. The suspect was arrested at a residence on
Johns Drive last night.
The shooting suspect was charged with the following:
- 1st Degree Battery, class B felony
- Aggravated Assault, class D felony
- Residential Burglary, class B felony
- Theft of Property (firearm), class C felony
The investigation revealed that a 16-year-old female also entered the residence on Gregg Road.
She was found in possession of a bottle of Morphine pills taken from the residence.
She is charged with the following:
- Residential Burglary, class B felony
- Possession of Controlled Substance, class C felony
Both juveniles were turned over to Baxter County Juvenile Services and transported to an out of
town juvenile lockup facility. The investigation into the shooting incident is continuing.
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Original police release: On 4/09/2020 at 11:42 pm, Baxter County 911 received a call reporting a shooting incident at Clysta Willett Park on Rossi Road. The caller stated his friend was shot and the suspect ran into
the nearby woods. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, wearing a white shirt,
sweatpants and a blue bandana.
Law enforcement personnel from the Mountain Home Police Department, Baxter County
Sheriff’s Office, and Arkansas State Police responded with the first officers arriving on scene at
11:49 pm. An ambulance from Baxter Regional Medical Center responded and transported an
18-year-old male juvenile to the hospital. The victim was shot in the leg with a handgun.
The shooting suspect was located on Johns Drive in a nearby subdivision at approximately
12:10 am. The 16-year-old juvenile was arrested. Several witnesses were located on scene and
are currently being interviewed.
The investigation is continuing, and additional details will be released later this morning.
