Authorities have identified the soldier killed in Monday’s double-shooting outside a U.S Army recruitment office in west Little Rock.
According to Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper, 23-year-old William Long of Conway died shortly after being transported to a Little Rock hospital.
Police say the incident occurred around 10:15 a.m. at a U.S. Army Navy Career Center inside the Ashley Square Shopping Center at 9112 North Rodney Parham Road. According to Lt. Terry Hastings with the Little Rock Police Department, two enlisted soldiers standing outside the office were hit when a suspect drove up in a black SUV and began shooting.
At a briefing Monday afternoon, Little Rock police chief Stuart Thomas identified the suspect as Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, of Little Rock. Thomas says Muhammad also goes by the name Carlos Bledsoe.
Hastings identified the second wounded soldier as Quinton Ezeagwula, age unknown. He remains at a local hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Muhammad led police on a brief pursuit towards downtown Little Rock, before being taken into custody in the area of the Interstate 30/630 interchange. Authorities searched the vehicle and found an assault rifle, Hastings said. A bomb squad was called in, as police were concerned about two bags in the vehicle, but no explosives were found, he said.
At the Monday-afternoon briefing, Thomas said investigators believe Muhammad acted alone, and likely carried “political and religious motives.” Thomas said the gunman targeted the military but was not believed to be part of a broader scheme.
Muhammad faces one capital murder charge, and 15 counts of terroristic acts.
The FBI (web) has opened an investigation into the incident, said Steven Frazier, spokesman for the agency’s Little Rock office. “Based on what we find, we will determine whether there is any federal jurisdiction to prosecute,” he said.
According to Army Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis, Long and Ezeagwula were not recruiters, but part of a recruiting program called “hometown recruiting assistance.” Artis says recruiters use soldiers to tell their stories and talk to potential recruits while they are visiting or based back in their home region.
Long and Ezeagwula were just out of basic training, Artis said, and had not been deployed.
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