On the evening of May 26, 2021, a violent encounter on the streets of Little Rock, Arkansas, claimed the life of 18-year-old Caleb Sykes, a Black male from North Little Rock. The incident unfolded as a dispute between the occupants of two vehicles, a white Toyota Camry and a silver Kia sedan, escalated into gunfire in the 5200 block of South University Avenue. Police were initially called to the scene after reports of a disturbance with a weapon and a possible collision between the two cars.
Upon arrival, they discovered the white vehicle with apparent bullet holes and debris scattered across the roadway.
Shortly after the initial call, authorities were dispatched to two other locations that were connected to the shooting. At a local hospital, Caleb Sykes had been brought in with gunshot wounds. He had been a passenger in the white Toyota Camry, and despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The driver of the Camry was not injured. Meanwhile, at the 1900 block of Wright Avenue, police found the silver Kia sedan with two occupants, a 17-year-old male and a 27-year-old female, who had both sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. A third person in the Kia was unharmed.
Investigators quickly determined that all the victims were part of the same shooting incident. Homicide detectives identified the 17-year-old male who was a passenger in the Kia sedan as a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Caleb Sykes. Authorities began actively seeking information regarding his whereabouts. As of the latest available reports, no arrests have been made in connection with the homicide, and the investigation remains ongoing. The death of Caleb Sykes marked the 25th homicide in Little Rock for that year.
