A teenager was in police custody on a first-degree murder charge after a high school senior was shot dead early Sunday at a party following a prom, police said.
Arkansas State Police confirmed that Donterious Stephens, 19, was arrested Sunday afternoon, hours after Lorenzo Harrison III, 18, was fatally shot in the town of Helena-West Helena.
The town, on the banks of the Mississippi River, is about 50 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee.
The Helena-West Helena School District Administration said in a statement that Harrison’s death was a tragic loss.
The suspect will also be charged with "possession of firearms by certain persons," police said.
The shooting took place at an off-campus party following a prom attended by students of Helena-West Helena’s Central High School. Stephens is a former student at the school, police said.
No other injuries were reported.
Earlier Sunday, police had identified Stephens as a suspect and said in a statement that he would be charged with first-degree murder and possession of firearms.
The Phillips County Sheriff's Office requested assistance after it received an emergency call about 1 a.m. Sunday, police said. Police said the party was held opposite the Ater Warehouse on Highway 49 heading west out of Helena.
Harrison’s body will be taken to the Arkansas State Crime lab for an autopsy.
The Helena-West Helena School District Administration said on its website: "Our hearts ache for the tragic loss of our beloved 12th-grade student at Central High School, and our deepest sympathies extend to his grieving family, classmates, friends, and our entire school community impacted by this senseless act of violence."
The district's crisis team will be at the school Monday morning to provide immediate counseling, the administration said.
"Together, may we honor his memory and work towards healing the wounds inflicted by this tragedy," the statement said.
