North Little Rock man rushed to help before being fatally shot, his family says

Catorius Thomas, sister of homicide victim Rodney Austin, weeps with family members at a memorial service at their mother’s home in Little Rock on Sunday.
Catorius Thomas, sister of homicide victim Rodney Austin, weeps with family members at a memorial service at their mother’s home in Little Rock on Sunday.

A homicide victim's sister stood on her mother's porch on Sunday's sunny afternoon enraged, distraught and heartbroken.

"They ambushed my brother," cried Barbara Sampson, her arm wrapped tightly around one of her remaining siblings.

Only a few hours earlier, her brother, Rodney Austin, succumbed to gunshot wounds at UAMS Medical Center. Austin, 44, of North Little Rock was shot several times Saturday night in North Little Rock while trying to break up a domestic dispute, police said.

Police are searching for the suspect but haven't released his name.

"Hit me up [on Facebook]; I'll take you down to the jail," said Rev. Benny Johnson, the founder of Arkansas Stop the Violence. "We need some kind of justice."

The very trait that endeared Austin to the several dozen who gathered on Sunday at his mother's South Ringo Street house in Little Rock was the same trait that his family said led him to his killer the evening before -- love.

His girlfriend's daughter called for help with her abusive boyfriend, and Austin rushed to her aid, family members said. When Austin arrived at the house, 5822 MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock, the suspect retrieved a "long gun" and shot him, police said.

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North Little Rock police have released few details of the case, but a spokesman confirmed that Austin was shot after responding to a domestic disturbance.

Officers found Austin bleeding at a nearby gas station, and he was transported to UAMS, where he died Sunday morning.

Police were also called to the domestic dispute but arrived too late. Austin's family members said they were frustrated that police weren't called first.

Sgt. Brian Dedrick, North Little Rock police spokesman, said he was unsure whether the abuse victim called police or family members first, but he encouraged assault victims to call police first.

"A family member can't go over there and make an arrest or handle a situation they're not trained for," he said. "Domestic incidents are dangerous."

After tending to Austin, a tactical team entered the home Saturday evening, believing the suspect had barricaded himself inside with a 1-year-old child. The team entered the home and found the child safe, but the suspect was not inside.

Mourners gathered and brought casseroles and soft drinks to Austin's mother's home just south of downtown Little Rock on Sunday. Children peered out the home's windows as the family remembered Austin.

Austin's mother stood silently on the porch, unable to speak. Sunday would be the first day her son didn't call to check in.

Nearby, Austin's first cousin Dafony Boyd embraced one of Austin's sisters in disbelief. Almost exactly four years ago, April 2, 2013, her son, Xavier Woods, was gunned down in North Little Rock.

"It's real, real hard," she said, pushing her lips together tightly.

Metro on 04/10/2017

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