12-year-old girl, man and woman found shot to death in Arkansas, sheriff says

ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, Ark. — An East Arkansas community is shaken up after two adults and a child were shot and killed while they were in bed.

The St. Francis County Sheriff’s office said the victims were shot inside a house on Gore St. in Madison, Ark., just outside of Forrest City.

Sheriff Bobby May said they have identified a person of interest, but no one is in custody yet.

Meanwhile, neighbors just want to know what happened.

“I hope they can solve it. They should have never done it,” Minnielle Dillard, who lives next door said. “Last night, I got up and I heard a noise of the dogs barking. I was seeing the lights and things flashing. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Deputies said they were called to the house around 1 a.m. Monday for a welfare check.

That’s when they found JaTerrance Wright, Shalonda Barton and Barton’s 12-year-old daughter had been shot while they were in bed.

“Most homicides of this nature are crimes of passion which is a strong indication that the killer was well known,” Sheriff May said.

May said it’s not unusual to see a spike in criminal activity during the holidays.

“You have families that come in from out of town that will possibly drink too much, arguments occur and the next thing you know, maybe something serious happens,” he said.

As officers work to track down who is responsible, neighbors are on edge.

One woman who does not want to be identified told FOX13 she was close with Barton and her daughter.

“My heart go out to the family, my deepest condolences to the mom, it is just really hard,” she said.

Sheriff May said a 4-year-old was also in the house during the shooting but is safe and in good health.

He said they expect to make an arrest very soon.

Forrest City schools issued a statement confirming the child was a student in the district.

They say they are saddened by the tragic loss and the district is providing additional mental health resources at all campuses to help staff and students cope.

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