In the wake of two recent homicides and a noticeable uptick in violent crime, Pine Bluff Police Chief Shirley Warrior met with citizens and city leaders Tuesday night to provide updates on the city’s latest crime statistics and ongoing prevention efforts.
Speaking at a town hall-style meeting, Warrior emphasized the importance of transparency and timely communication between law enforcement and the public.
“We don’t want to wait a month and then have people wondering why we waited so long,” Warrior said. “For our department to be transparent, we must release information as soon as it’s available.”
So far in 2025, Pine Bluff has seen eight homicides, six of which have been cleared by arrests. The most recent tragedy was the July 19 shooting death of 14-year-old Floyd Allen, marking the city’s first juvenile homicide in over 18 months. Eighteen-year-old Dicoreon Ford has been arrested in connection with the killing.
Just one day earlier, 36-year-old Markee Avery was fatally shot. Police quickly arrested 37-year-old Michael King and are currently searching for his brother, 39-year-old LaMarcus Benton, who is also wanted in the case.
The recent spike in homicides is partially attributed to the delayed death of a previous shooting victim. Thirty-four-year-old Antonio Gardner was shot on June 14 and died of his injuries on July 10. Twenty-nine-year-old Keyontae Johnson has been named as a suspect.
Additionally, the June 14 death of an infant in a motel bathtub has resulted in homicide charges against the child’s mother, 24-year-old LaCrystal Matthews.
In comparison to last year, homicides in the month of July have increased from one in 2024 to two in 2025.
From July 1 to July 20, police received 28 calls regarding shots fired, with nine of those reports coming from Zone 1 — the area where the first four rounds of “Operation Stop the Bleed” were recently held. This targeted police saturation initiative aims to show residents that the department is taking proactive steps to address crime.
Twelve of the events are planned citywide. The first four resulted in more than 100 citations for offenses such as failure to wear a seatbelt, driving without insurance, and operating a vehicle with a suspended license.
“We’re not harassing you,” Warrior told attendees. “We just want to live in a safe environment. Just obey the law of the land — that’s all we’re asking.”
One area drawing particular attention is domestic violence. From July 1 to 20, the department responded to more than 50 domestic-related calls, many involving altercations between dating partners. Police made 25 arrests in those cases.
Warrior urged community members to remain vigilant and engaged, whether that means reporting gunfire, helping someone in crisis, or referring people to counseling services.
“There’s only a handful of people who are bad in our city,” she said. “If we can get control of that handful — and if we all work together — we can get it done.”
She added, “I live in the heart of this city, and in our neighborhoods, we just want to be safe.”
Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers also attended the meeting and echoed the importance of crime prevention through community partnerships and services.
“We saw a year-and-a-half with no homicides of young people; that is prevention,” Flowers said. “Lighting is prevention, cameras are prevention … all of those things, coupled with pastors in the schools and wraparound services, are important.”
The city is now looking to add a social worker and psychologist to the police department to help officers address mental health issues during arrests and investigations.
“Police are good at policing,” Flowers said. “But to make our community safe — and to ensure our officers go home to their families — we have to engage in prevention. We have to do it with them.”
Both Warrior and Flowers agreed that while challenges remain, progress is being made. They stressed that reducing crime and creating a safer community will require continued cooperation between residents, city officials, and law enforcement.
“We might not be here tomorrow or the next day,” Warrior said. “But we hope our kids, our grandkids will be. We want them to come back and visit our city and be proud.”
