TexasCHLforum.com

Little Rock - Authorities have identified the soldier killed in Monday's double-shooting outside a U.S Army recruitment office in west Little Rock.

According to Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper, 23-year-old William Long of Conway died shortly after being transported to a Little Rock hospital.

Police say the incident occurred around 10:15 a.m. at a U.S. Army Navy Career Center inside the Ashley Square Shopping Center at 9112 North Rodney Parham Road. According to Lt. Terry Hastings with the Little Rock Police Department, two enlisted soldiers standing outside the office were hit when a suspect drove up in a black SUV and began shooting.

At a briefing Monday afternoon, Little Rock police chief Stuart Thomas identified the suspect as Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, of Little Rock. Thomas says Muhammad also goes by the name Carlos Bledsoe.

Hastings identified the 2nd wounded soldier as Quinton Ezeagwula, age unknown. He remains at a local hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Muhammad led police on a brief pursuit towards downtown Little Rock, before being taken into custody in the area of the Interstate 30/630 interchange. Authorities searched the vehicle and found an assault rifle, Hastings said. A bomb squad was called in, as police were concerned about two bags in the vehicle, but no explosives were found, he said.

At the Monday-afternoon briefing, Thomas said investigators believe Muhammad acted alone, and likely carried "political and religious motives." Thomas said the gunman targeted the military but was not believed to be part of a broader scheme.

Muhammad faces one capital murder charge, and 15 counts of terroristic acts.

The FBI (web) has opened an investigation into the incident, said Steven Frazier, spokesman for the agency's Little Rock office. "Based on what we find, we will determine whether there is any federal jurisdiction to prosecute," he said.

According to Army Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis, Long and Ezeagwula were not recruiters, but part of a recruiting program called "hometown recruiting assistance." Artis says recruiters use soldiers to tell their stories and talk to potential recruits while they are visiting or based back in their home region.

Long and Ezeagwula were just out of basic training, Artis said, and had not been deployed.

austinrealtor wrote:
Anyone who wears, has worn, or will wear a uniform of the United States armed services is a hero in my book. I will pray for their families to night.

usa1 wrote:

austinrealtor wrote:
Anyone who wears, has worn, or will wear a uniform of the United States armed services is a hero in my book. I will pray for their families to night.

austinrealtor wrote:I don't claim to understand military rules and regs, but is it possible for these two brave young men to receive Purple Hearts? Seems to me they are casualties of war just as surely as any other brave solider, Marine, airman, or sailor killed or wounded in battle. Just because this inhuman piece of trash was too cowardly to wait until they had their weapons in hand, does not mean they were not casualties of a larger war. These two young men were shot because of the uniform they wore and what it represents.

Anyone who wears, has worn, or will wear a uniform of the United States armed services is a hero in my book. I will pray for their families to night.

Kythas wrote:To receive a Purple Heart, you must receive a wound while in action against an armed, opposing enemy force, said wound must be sufficient to require medical care, and treatment for said wound must be made part of official record.

AFJailor wrote:Let him run through Ft. Dix naked with a sign around his neck that says "I killed two of your friends". If he makes it from the front gate to the back gate then he gets to walk free.

My money says he doesn't make it 10 yards.