HOT SPRINGS, AR – One man is dead and another in jail after a shooting incident.
It happened on Hobson Street around midnight Friday.
The Hot Springs Police Department says an officer on patrol in the area of N. Patterson and Baxter streets heard two gunshots. A few seconds later he saw a silver Jeep Cherokee leaving the area at a high rate of speed.
The vehicle was pulled over minutes later on Baxter Street, where the driver got out and ran away, while three passengers remained inside the vehicle.
Moments later, police were notified that someone had been shot at 1215 Hobson St., just two blocks away.
That’s where a second officer found the victim. He’s been identified as Nicholas Rodriquez, 21, of Hot Springs.
The officer who had heard the gunshots, along with his K-9 partner “Raven,” then began a search for the driver.
Raven led Officers to the rear of Albert Pike Tire at 100 Albert Pike, where she found the suspect. He’s identified as Matthew Lashawn Babb, 27, of Mountain Pine. Police say he was hiding under a vehicle. Police say officers also found two handguns inside a dumpster at that same location.
After interviews and evidence collection, Babb was arrested and charged with Murder 2nd. He is being held at the Garland County Detention Center with a $100,000 Bond and is scheduled for an initial arraignment later this morning.
Detectives and the Crime Scene Unit are still collecting evidence and conducting further investigation. The motive for the shooting appears to be drug-related.