In the early evening of a spring day in Little Rock, Arkansas, the life of 29-year-old Marvell Rex Harris, a Black male, was tragically cut short. On Saturday, May 6, 2023, just before 5 p.m., a dispute escalated to gunfire in the area of Roosevelt Road and Broadway Street. Harris was driving a gray vehicle when an occupant of a white car opened fire, striking him.
Despite being rushed to a local hospital, the injuries he sustained proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to them shortly after arrival.
The Little Rock Police Department was quick to respond to the incident, which was initially reported as a disturbance with a weapon. Callers to emergency services described a chaotic scene of a white car pursuing and shooting at a gray vehicle. Upon arriving at the hospital and learning of Harris's death, homicide detectives immediately began their investigation. The area around the shooting was canvassed for witnesses and any available video surveillance that might shed light on the events that transpired. Harris's body was subsequently transported to the State Crime Lab for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death.
The investigation into the homicide of Marvell Rex Harris led to the identification of a suspect. Yusuf Mohammed, 21 years old, was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the fatal shooting. The motive behind the altercation and subsequent shooting has not been publicly detailed. The arrest of a suspect brought a small measure of progress in a case that has left a family, including Harris's parents and three children, mourning a profound loss. The community was left to grapple with another act of gun violence that claimed a life.
