PARRIS TOWERS: Sniper still on loose, still firing

  • Brian Chilson
  • PARRIS TOWERS: Sniper still on loose, still firing

The Little Rock Housing Authority has been heard from regarding incidents in which David Jones, a neighbor of the high-rise, LRHA-run Parris Towers at 18th and Broadway, had his car, pets and even himself sniped at by someone in the building with a high-powered pellet gun.

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As we related last week, Jones’ 1977 Ferrari 308 has been peppered with lead pellets all summer, denting the body work, chipping the paint, and breaking one window. The culprit also shot Jones’ dog, Kodi Bear, and has been bold enough to plug away at Jones himself as he worked in the back yard of his house. Jones managed to catch a few seconds of video of the sniper, who leaned from the window of a seventh floor laundry room and capped off a few shots with a black pistol before disappearing back inside. The video resolution was not high enough to identify the person.

Our story apparently didn’t deter the shooter. In a posting on the Arkansas Blog, Jones said that three days after our story ran, he was trying to do paint and bodywork on his car when the sniper shot at him again, missing his head by a foot and almost managing to shoot out the rear window of the car.

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“Divot #128 to add to the list of repairs,” Jones wrote. “Yes, I said one hundred and twenty eight shots at the car…I am at a loss, as my car and house are under constant attack, my dog is scarred from being hit by a rain of pellets, and each new day brings no relief.” In the same post, Jones said that he has been contacted by residents of Parris Towers who claim that some there know who is doing the shooting, but won’t come forward for fear of retaliation from the shooter and the LRHA.

When our story went to press Aug. 3, several calls to the Little Rock Housing Authority had gone unreturned. In a letter faxed to the Times Aug. 10, LRHA executive director Shelly Ehenger said that they are working to catch the culprit. Ehenger said that rentals at the 250-apartment Parris Towers are restricted to those 50 years and older, except for five tenants who have lived there since before LRHA requested the age restriction from Housing and Urban Development. She said that all applicants are screened for criminal and prior rental history.

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Ehenger added that there have been several actions taken by LRHA at Parris Towers in response to the pellet sniping, including hiring an additional security guard, securing the window of the seventh floor laundry room where Jones caught video of the shooter leaning out before taking a shot, and posting a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the sniper. This is in addition to the $500 David Jones had already said he’d pay for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.

Police said detectives are working on the case, but have no arrests to report. People with information can call detectives at 371-4660.

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— David Koon

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