LITTLE ROCK, ARK. (CBS/AP) – A rapper whose concert in Little Rock became the site of a shooting that left 28 people injured was arrested early Sunday on unrelated charges, authorities said.
Ricky Hampton, 25, of Memphis, Tennessee, also known as Finese2Tymes, was arrested on outstanding warrants out of Forrest City, Arkansas, police in Little Rock said on Twitter. CBS Birmingham affiliate WIAT had reported that Hampton and another individual were wanted in connection to the shooting that left 28 people hurt in Little Rock, Arkansas, Saturday morning, but no arrests have been made in the shooting at the Power Ultra Lounge, which police have said they believe stemmed from a dispute in the crowd and may be gang-related.
The U.S. Marshal Service said Hampton and another man were arrested at the Side Effects Club in Birmingham, where Hampton was performing. The Marshal Service says the men were arrested on a “fugitive from justice” warrant.
Hampton was performing at the Power Ultra Lounge when gunfire broke out early Sunday. Twenty-five people between the ages of 16 and 35 suffered gunshot wounds, and three others were hurt.
City officials intend to shut down the club. State regulators suspended the club’s liquor license Saturday and its landlord later posted an eviction notice.
The volley of gunfire inside the Power Ultra Lounge early Saturday came so fast that investigators believe multiple people had to have been involved. Police Chief Kenton Buckner credited quick work by first responders for there being no fatalities.
Courtney Swanigan, 23, told The Associated Press that when the gunfire rang out, “I just closed my eyes, got down on the ground and put my hands on my head.”
City officials said they would move Monday to shut down the club under a “criminal abatement” program. State regulators suspended the club’s liquor license earlier Saturday.
On Saturday night, a representative for the landlord’s office posted an eviction notice on a door to the club. The notice stated that the club must move out of the property within three days “due to your failure to maintain the premises in a safe condition.”
Mayor Mark Stodola said the city must “keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people” and suggested that people refuse to patronize clubs that seem to promote violence. Material advertising the concert by Tennessee rapper Finese 2Tymes showed a man pointing a gun at a camera.
“A promotional video with a gun on the front cover inviting people to a concert … should also be totally unacceptable in our community,” the mayor said.
The shooting capped a violent week in Arkansas’ largest city. Police had responded to a dozen drive-by shootings over the previous nine days.
“I’m sick of all the killing and I’m tired of all the shooting. The kids getting hurt,” said Raida Bunche, who was waiting outside the club after hearing from a friend that her son had been inside. She found out later that he had run from the club when the shooting started and was not hurt.
The shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) east of the state Capitol building. First-responders are stationed through the central part of the city and hospitals are a quick ride away.
“We had professional people responding to that incident and they did what they were trained to do, and I know they probably had something to do with the fact we didn’t have any fatalities,” Buckner said. He also credited divine intervention.r.
