Casandra Peña Romero, 27, was shot in the parking lot of Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services in Little Rock on the evening of August 19, 2023, as she was leaving her shift. She had worked for MEMS since July 2021 and sent an SOS text to colleagues moments before the attack. Coworkers found her bleeding beside her car and rendered aid; she was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died on August 23, 2023. She was an organ donor.

Investigators quickly focused on her estranged husband, 23-year-old Omar Pena-Romero, a former MEMS employee whose employment had been terminated earlier in August. Casandra had filed for divorce on August 11 after accusing Omar of rape and assault; a judge then issued a no-contact order requiring him to stay away from her home and workplace. Court records also show Omar had previously voluntarily committed himself to a psychiatric unit and had shown Casandra a suicide note.

A manhunt for Omar led to his arrest near Texarkana hours after the shooting. If anyone knew Casandra, her movements that night, or saw anything in the MEMS parking area on August 19, please share what was seen or heard.