Little Rock Nightclub Shooting: New Task Force Takes Aim At Violence

LITTLE ROCK, AR — Arkansas is trying to curb violence in Little Rock following a nightclub shooting that left more than two dozen hurt.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday announced the creation of a multiagency partnership made up of agents and officers from agencies including the Little Rock Police Department, FBI and Arkansas State Police.

"We have experienced an escalating level of violence in Little Rock in recent years," Hutchinson said during a news conference. "The looming cloud of violence harms us all; not just in Little Rock, but the entire state."

He said the city is a magnet for tourism and that "if Little Rock is not safe, we cannot succeed in our goals as a state." (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The agencies will assign officers to the group to share intelligence about violent offenders and threats in the city, the governor said. Violent offenders, particularly those with gang-affiliations, will be targeted and the task force will seek lengthier prison sentences for offenders, he said.

The task force also seeks to intensify enforcement of alcoholic beverage laws at businesses. Officers expect to visit places in Little Rock and Pulaski County to make sure their closing hours are strictly enforced.

The nightclub shooting happened early Saturday during a rap concert inside the Power Ultra Lounge in downtown Little Rock. City officials have said they'll shutt down the club under a "criminal abatement" program. The club's liquor license was also suspended.

Memphis, Tennessee rapper Ricky Hampton, aka Finese2Tymes, headlined the concert. He was arrested in Alabama about 24 hours after the shooting on outstanding charges of aggravated assault with a gun out of Forrest City in eastern Arkansas. Authorities say he shot someone in the neck days before the Little Rock concert.

Little Rock police Lt. Steve McClanahan said investigators continue to look into the Power Ultra Lounge shooting and are waiting for forensic evidence to be processed. The shooting capped a violent week in the city. Police responded to 12 drive-by shootings over the previous nine days.

Charles Williams, of the Little Rock organization Stop the Violence, said he's not happy with the governor's task force plans. Putting more people in prison should not be the only way to curb violence, he said, and more preventative measures must be utilized.

"What can we give to these young people to prevent what happened at that club?" Williams said.

Officials need to ensure the investigative group includes people of color to reach out to the areas that need help, he said.

"We've got to have urban people involved in urban issues," Williams said.

By Tafi Mukunyadzi, Associated Press

Photo credit: Jefferson County Sheriff via AP; Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press