El Dorado police are continuing their investigation into a shooting that left one man dead and another injured during the early morning hours of July 4.
According to police, gunshots erupted as a crowd had gathered in a parking lot on the east side of town to celebrate the holiday, killing 25-year-old Jaylen McMurrian of El Dorado.
Another man, 27, remained hospitalized Thursday with gunshot wounds. Police have not publicly identified the injured man, citing the ongoing investigation and safety reasons.
Police did not provide update on the man's condition.
At approximately 12:36 a.m. July 4, officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 1100 block of East Hillsboro.
Upon arrival, officers encountered a chaotic scene with a large crowd in the parking lot that spans across several adjacent businesses, including Stop 1 Food Mart, Southern Classic Chicken and a strip mall that is next to Southern Classic.
EPD Capt. Scott Harwell said McMurrian had sustained at least one gunshot wound and was lying in the parking lot in front of the strip mall when officers arrived.
McMurrian was transported by ambulance to Medical Center of South Arkansas and succumbed to his injuries sometime later.
His body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for an autopsy. Harwell said investigators are awaiting a preliminary autopsy report from the crime lab.
The second gunshot victim was transported to MSCA by private vehicle shortly after the shooting, Harwell said.
"He had left the scene by the time officers got there. He ran off right after he was shot. We don't know where he ran to, but we do know he was driven to the hospital in a private vehicle," Harwell said.
He said investigators are working to piece together the details of the incident and conducting witness interviews, noting the large crowd that was on the scene when the shooting occurred.
"There were so many people out there. It was tough because once the shots were fired and people started falling, people started scattering," he said. "Our witnesses are cooperating."
No other injuries were reported in the shooting.
Evidence that has been collected in the investigation will be sent to the state crime lab for processing, Harwell said.
He said investigators have not yet established a motive for the shooting and they are hoping to identify a suspect(s) soon.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the EPD Criminal Investigation Division at 870-881-4810.