In the small town of Holly Grove, Arkansas, a community celebration known as 'Mayday' took a tragic turn on the evening of Sunday, May 25, 2025, ending in the death of 24-year-old Shanautica Parks. A former resident of Holly Grove who had recently moved to Stuttgart, Parks was fatally wounded by gunfire at the intersection of Dr. Herd Stone and Smith streets.
Two other individuals, a 49-year-old man from Stuttgart and a 19-year-old woman from England, Arkansas, were also injured in the shooting but were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at nearby hospitals.
The event, attended by an estimated 300 to 400 people, was described by a witness as descending into a scene that sounded 'like a war zone' when the shooting broke out. Upon their arrival, officers from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department and the Holly Grove Police Department found Parks with gunshot wounds. The Monroe County Coroner pronounced her dead at the scene. Her body was subsequently sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to determine the official cause and manner of death.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division was called in to lead the investigation into the shooting at the request of local law enforcement. As of the initial reports, no arrests had been made in connection with the incident, and authorities had not released any information about a potential suspect or suspects. The investigation into the triple shooting remains ongoing.
Known affectionately as 'Nu-nu,' Shanautica Parks was a graduate of the Clarendon/Holly Grove High School Class of 2020 and had attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for a few semesters. She was a former employee of Walmart and Riceland Foods in Stuttgart. Her funeral services were scheduled for Saturday, June 14, at the Clarendon Holly Grove High School Auditorium, with interment at Hayes Cemetery in Holly Grove.
