On the evening of April 3, 2022, gunfire at a home on Smithdale Avenue in Parkin, near Wynne, left 47-year-old Shoron Selvy dead and another occupant, Patricia Pepper, wounded. Both were found with gunshot injuries and taken to a hospital; Selvy later died, while Pepper was listed in stable condition at a Memphis hospital.

Witnesses named 20-year-old Darius Kirkwood as the person they saw leaving the residence before police arrived. Officers later chased a speeding vehicle believed to be driven by Kirkwood along U.S. Highway 64 and Arkansas Highway 1 into Cross County. When deputies tried to stop and remove the driver on a county road, an exchange of gunfire occurred; Kirkwood was killed at the scene and Cross County Sheriff David West suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was treated and released.

The Arkansas State Police is investigating both Selvy’s homicide and the officer-involved shooting. If anyone saw activity on Smithdale Avenue that night or has information about the events leading up to the shootings, please share what is known.