Law enforcement in Pulaski County investigated 14 deaths as homicides in April, four more than the month before, making the month the deadliest yet of 2022 for the county, data shows.
The majority of the killings were handled by Little Rock police, with that agency investigating 12 and North Little Rock police and Pulaski County deputies investigating one case each.
The toll brought the number of homicides in the county to 39 by the end of April, with two more reported in the first week of May by Saturday, reaching 41.
April continued the trend of each new month of 2022 surpassing the last in the number of slayings. Authorities reported seven in January, eight in February and 10 in March.
On April 3, Little Rock police investigated the shooting death of Donnie Hood, 34, at 7111 Indiana Ave. in Little Rock. Hood was taken to an area hospital and died of his wounds.
Later that same day, Joey Doss, 21, turned himself in to police, and was charged with first-degree murder. He was held Saturday in the Pulaski County jail with bail set at $750,000.
Little Rock police on April 7 investigated two homicides. Brittany Cottrell, 24, was shot at 4808 Terra Vista Circle in Little Rock around 1:30 a.m. Cottrell died at the scene, according to an incident report.
On April 14, officers arrested Nichalas Bates, 24, reportedly Cottrell's boyfriend, who is charged with first-degree murder in the killing. He was held Saturday in the Pulaski County jail with bail set at $750,000.
On the evening of April 7, Little Rock police responding to a shooting found Dolan Goff, 26, in the driver's seat of a pickup. He had reportedly been shot several times and died of his wounds April 11 at UAMS, according to an incident report.
Police have arrested two men in connection with the shooting -- Freddrick Jackson, 17, on April 13, and Cyrus Walker, 19, on May 5 -- and Little Rock police spokesman Mark Edwards said the investigation is ongoing.
Jackson, as a minor, was not listed on the Pulaski County jail's online inmate roster, but was charged with first-degree murder and had bail set at $1 million, court records show.
Walker is also charged with first-degree murder and was held Saturday in the Pulaski County jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
North Little Rock police on April 12 investigated the shooting death of William Welch, 52, at 5401 Baucum Pike in North Little Rock.
Police initially reported that the incident stemmed from a domestic disturbance, and said one person was taken in for questioning after the killing. No one has been arrested in the case, and no suspect was named.
On the morning of April 17, Little Rock officers responded to 6000 Baseline Road, where they found Joanna Bell, 21, suffering from gunshot wounds. She was taken to an area hospital and died of her wounds.
The next day, police arrested Zabion Bealer, 19, who is charged with first-degree murder in the killing and was held Saturday in the Pulaski County jail on $1 million bail.
Also on April 17, a person going fishing found the body of Robert Lee Chester, 67, in a wooded area off the road near the 18600 block of Frazier Pike, with Pulaski County deputies investigating the killing as a homicide.
No suspect has yet been identified in the slaying, and Chester's cause of death was not released.
Little Rock police investigated two homicides on April 20. The first was the death of Terrence Calloway, 32, who was shot near 8406 Dreher Lane in Little Rock and died of his wounds two days later.
The day of the killing, police arrested Theodore Patrick, 60, who is charged with first-degree murder in the killing. He was not listed in the Pulaski County jail's online inmate roster Saturday, and court records indicated his bail had been set at $1 million.
Also on April 20, officers investigated the killing of Keisha Utsey, 39, who was shot multiple times and died at 2408 Alicia Court in Little Rock.
Police arrested Jeremy Bass, 35, who was on the scene when police arrived, and he was charged with first-degree murder. The relationship between Bass and Utsey was not clear, but both lived at the address, according to an incident report.
Bass on Saturday was held at the Pulaski County jail with bail set at $750,000.
On April 22, Little Rock police investigated the death of Harry Jackson, 50, at 1806 West 18th St., who was found shot in a parking lot. Jackson died of his wounds two days later.
Odell Hampton, 56, was detained after the shooting but was released without charges. A prosecutor was reviewing the case to see whether the shooting was in self-defense or if charges would be filed against Hampton, Edwards said.
Little Rock officers on the morning of April 23 responded to a shooting at 5209 F St. Ray Alexander, 83, was shot and killed, while his wife Charlotte, 77, was wounded.
Police arrested their daughter, Corey Alexander, 46, that same day, and she is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree battery. She was held Saturday in the Pulaski County jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
In March, Ray Alexander asked the Pulaski County Circuit Court to commit his daughter to an addiction treatment facility because of homicidal and suicidal behavior.
The petition claimed that Corey Alexander was addicted to methamphetamine and believed her parents had died and been replaced by "imposters." The parents were concerned because Corey had reportedly told them she had ordered weapons and was going to kill the "imposters."
A judge dismissed the petition a few days later, stating that Corey Alexander had agreed to go to treatment at UAMS, but court records do not show how long she was committed or what type of treatment she received.
Also April 23, Little Rock police responded to 4400 Walker St., where a man mowing the lawn at the address had discovered a body in the underbrush.
Authorities later identified the person as Kerry Allen, 38, but the body had been decomposed, and police think Allen's body had been there some time. It was not clear how he was killed or when, and no suspect has yet been named in the killing.
On April 29, around 5 a.m., Little Rock police responded to 1400 East 28th St., where they found Raymond Moore, 39, who had been shot and died of his wounds on the scene.
No suspect has been named in the slaying.
Also April 29, shortly before midnight, Little Rock police arrived at 2704 South Schiller St., finding Nicholas Hampton, 33, lying in the doorway with stab wounds. Hampton died of his wounds shortly afterward.
A day later, police arrested Yahchanan Makvelli, 52, who is charged with first-degree murder and was held Saturday in the Pulaski County jail with bail set at $1 million.
Also that day, April 30, just before 5 a.m., Little Rock police responding to a ShotSpotter activation at 4411 West 26th St. found Setric Millner, 44, who had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have not made an arrest in the killing, but identified a man named Terry Beckton as a suspect and he is wanted on a capital murder charge. Investigators had located a truck in which they think Beckton left the scene of the killing, Edwards said Thursday.
By the end of April, Little Rock police had investigated 28 homicide deaths in the city as part of 26 separate incidents in 2022. Some of the killings had multiple victims. The department had made at least one arrest in 19 of the incidents, or about 73%.
Police had arrested 23 people on homicide charges by the end of the month. Some killings led to multiple arrests.
In two incidents, prosecutors were reviewing the case to see if criminal charges were warranted, meaning police had identified suspects, but could not legally arrest them.
North Little Rock police in 2022 have investigated six deaths as homicides, making arrests in two of six cases, or about 33%.
Pulaski County deputies have investigated four killings, leading to arrests in half of their cases this year.
Jacksonville police also investigated one death last month, contributing to the county's total, and had not made an arrest in that case as of Saturday.