Four people were injured in a shooting at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro on April 26, including three A-State students, after a gathering at Unity Park turned violent just after midnight.
The university said it received a 911 call just after midnight April 26 reporting shots fired in the area. One student was treated at the scene, and three other people were taken to local hospitals with mostly minor injuries and are now stable. Among them was one 19-year-old woman who suffered a gunshot wound to the right leg, and another 19-year-old woman who had a minor injury to her leg and abdomen, believed to be from shrapnel. The other victims had minor scrapes and cuts.
The initial University Police Department incident report listed two suspects, including a 19-year-old man. Later, Todd Clark said a gathering was underway at Unity Park when the shooting happened. An email alert later told the campus community about an active shooter incident, but Clark later said there was no active threat and that the shooting was isolated to Unity Park.
The confusion in those early minutes reflected how fast the situation moved. Arkansas State Police had earlier told K8 News that two students were injured, and the university later confirmed that three students were hurt. The case remained under investigation, and the university asked anyone with information to call Arkansas State Police at 870-935-7303.
Unity Park sits on the Arkansas State University campus, and the university encouraged students who need support to contact the University Counseling Center. For now, the key fact is that the violence was contained to one part of campus, but investigators still need to sort out who fired the shots and why four people were hurt in the first place.
