In the early hours of a Sunday morning, the quiet of a Little Rock neighborhood was shattered by the discovery of a tragic scene. On December 3, 2023, just after midnight, police officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1600 block of West 22nd Street. Upon their arrival, they found two young black males who had succumbed to gunshot wounds. One of the victims was identified as 13-year-old Deonta Gurley.
He was found alongside his 14-year-old cousin, Naqualo Smith.
The two boys, according to family members, had snuck out of their home that night, a decision that placed them in the path of deadly violence. The mother of Naqualo Smith later recounted the horrifying belief that the cousins were chased down like animals before they were killed. She stated that her son's cousin was murdered in front of him, and then the perpetrators pursued and killed him as well. Family members expressed that it was the first time the boys had ever snuck out of the house, making the outcome all the more devastating.
In the wake of the double homicide, the families of Deonta Gurley and Naqualo Smith were left to grapple with an immense loss, preparing for a holiday season that would be forever marked by grief. The community joined them in mourning and calling for an end to the gun violence that had claimed the lives of two of its youngest members. As the investigation continued, family members held onto hope for answers and justice, believing that someone in the community held the information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case.
Despite the ongoing efforts of the Little Rock Police Department's Major Crimes Division, the investigation into the deaths of Deonta Gurley and Naqualo Smith has remained a difficult one. Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and any available video surveillance in the immediate aftermath, but the case grew cold. As of nearly a year after the shooting, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified, leaving a grieving family still searching for closure and the community waiting for justice to be served for the two young lives that were tragically cut short.
