A 26-year-old Little Rock man remains in critical condition after a police officer shot him two times in the chest. It happened Friday evening outside of a Southwest Little Rock apartment complex. People who live in that area are speaking out over the shooting and crime in general.
As Little Rock police work to figure out if their officer did the right thing when he shot and injured a man Friday night, some people in that area are forming some opinions of their own. Some say they can understand why the situation could have ended this way, others say it should've never gotten this far.
Friday night, just moments after Officer Matt White shot Leo Durrough, officers began an investigation to determine the cause.
"It ain’t right," says Larry Robinson.
People who live in Berwyn Square apartments, where the shooting happened, are forming their own thoughts. Police were called there at 5:00 Friday afternoon to break up a disturbance involving Durrough. About three hours later, police returned after reports of gun shots being fired. Police say Officer White ran into Durrough again, but this time they say Durrough pulled a gun.
"In {West} Memphis, what happened to the child down there where officers say they saw a gun and they didn’t' see a gun. You have to be for sure. If you’re an officer you’re a professional," Robinson said.
Others say they can see why an officer might have to use gun fire.
"They have the right to do what they have to do. They have to defend their self regardless," said Tangie Farr.
Little Rock Police say the area on 65th and Butler is one they respond to too often. Last October, SWAT officials surrounded a home in the area looking for a man who they say shot another man outside of a nearby convenience store.
In November of 2007, also at 65th and Butler, police say a man approached a vehicle and shot and killed the person inside. People who live here say their area is getting a bad rep.
"It's too much crime anywhere. It's crime everywhere. Everywhere you go it's crime." Farr said.
This time, crime struck again in their neighborhood and a police officer is now being investigated.
"You aren't supposed to take a life, you’re supposed to protect a life," Robinson said.
UAMS employees told us Durrough was transferred from the emergency room to the intensive care unit Saturday afternoon.
Officer Matt White is on administrative leave, pending the investigation into the shooting. This is standard procedure with the Little Rock Police Department. White has been an officer with the department since 2004.
