HELENA-WEST HELENA, AR – A teenage boy was arrested on a murder charge following a fatal shooting at a post-prom party early Sunday, according to the Arkansas State Police. The suspect, 19-year-old Donterious Stephens, was taken into custody hours after another teen, Lorenzo Harrison III, was killed in the incident.
The fatal shooting occurred at an off-campus party that followed a prom for students of the Central High School in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas.
Police identified Stephens as a suspect and confirmed his charges earlier on Sunday. They responded to an emergency call at about 1 a.m., which was made from the party venue situated opposite the Ater Warehouse on Highway 49.
The Helena-West Helena School District Administration expressed its deep sorrow over the tragic loss of Harrison, an 18-year-old twelfth-grade student at Central High School. The district extended its sincere condolences to his grieving family, friends, classmates, and the devastated school community, calling the incident a “senseless act of violence.”
The school district has arranged for its crisis team to offer immediate counseling assistance at the school on Monday morning. In their commitment to honor Harrison’s memory, the school district aims to facilitate a healing process to overcome the pain inflicted by the tragedy.
The victim’s body is set to be taken to the Arkansas State Crime lab, where an autopsy will be performed to further assist the investigation.