UPDATE: Suspect in Barricade and Shooting Incident Surrenders; One Confirmed Dead
PINE BLUFF, AR – After nearly three hours of tense negotiations, 54-year-old Melvin Sanders peacefully surrendered to Pine Bluff police just before 1:00 P.M. Saturday, following a barricade and shooting incident at an apartment near 14th Avenue and Main Street.
Sanders was taken into custody without incident and transported to Jefferson Regional Medical Center for treatment of what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand.
Upon entering the apartment, officers discovered 43-year-old Yashika Morris deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene by a representative of the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Sanders is expected to be booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a charge of Capital Murder following his release from medical care.
The Pine Bluff Police Department is urging anyone with additional information related to this homicide to contact the detective office tip line at 870-730-2106, the detective division at 870-730-2090, or the dispatch center at 870-541-5300.
This remains an active investigation. The Heat Magazine will continue to provide updates as they become available.