Desmond Smith, 19, was killed in a drive-by shooting just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 16, 2017, on Washington Street in Ashdown, Arkansas. Witnesses said a red Dodge Charger pulled up and multiple rounds were fired; Smith suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken by private vehicle to Little River Memorial Hospital, where he died. Another 19-year-old, Samari Covington, was struck in the arm and sent to a Texarkana hospital.

Investigators quickly circulated the vehicle description. Sevier County deputies and De Queen police stopped a suspected car a short time later. A witness identified Joshua King of De Queen as one of the occupants; he and three others in the vehicle, ages 17 to 22, were detained and held at the Sevier County Jail while charges were prepared. Authorities said no firearm had been recovered and an autopsy for Smith was expected at the Arkansas Crime Lab in Little Rock. The longer-term court outcomes were not announced in the immediate aftermath.

If anyone in Ashdown that night saw the red Dodge Charger or has information about who fired those shots, please come forward.