Pastor kills attacker on rampage Assaults mount until bullets stop Jacksonville man at LR church
BY ANDY DAVIS
ARKANSAS Democrat-GAZETTE
A string of violent attacks Tuesday afternoon ended when a pastor shot and killed a man who attacked him and his son-in-law with a fireplace poker after breaking into an east Little Rock church.
Corey Adams’ 15 minute rampage began about 3 p.m. outside the management office of an apartment complex near The House of Prayer of the Apostolic Faith at 1400 E. 10th St.
Before he was killed, Adams, 30, robbed and struck an acquaintance, attacked a pest control worker and brutally beat an insurance salesman, who was critically injured, before fleeing into the church, police said.
Adams then forced his way into the Rev. Arthur Ford’s living quarters at the church, where Ford shot him several times with a pistol. Adams of Jacksonville was taken to St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, where he died.
Police said the shooting appeared to be justified although they will forward information to the prosecutor’s office for a final determination.
Detectives plan to question Adams’ relatives to determine what prompted the outburst. The acquaintance who was hit and robbed told police Adams was acting "crazy" and routinely took the drug phencyclidine hydrochloride, or PCP, known to cause bizarre behavior and numb users to pain.
"That’s one of the questions were trying to answer during the investigation — is what triggered his behavior," Little Rock police detective Ronnie Smith said.
More than a dozen of Ford’s relatives who gathered at St. Vincent, where Ford and his son-in-law, Vernon Barnes, were being treated, were asking the same question.
"Why would they do my brother like that? Why would they do that?" asked Ford’s sister, Beatrice Mitchell, 68, of Little Rock.
"It makes you scared of people, I’ll tell you," said niece Kathylene Austin, 54, of Little Rock.
Police said the attacks started when an acquaintance, Anthony Johnson, 39, saw Adams outside the management office at Eastview Terrace Apartments at 1200 Geyer St.
Adams, who had a cast on one arm, asked the apartment manager if he could use the phone. The manager told him no.
Adams then pulled out a pistol and ordered Johnson to give him his money. He took $220 in cash from Johnson and hit him with a jug of coins. Johnson ran away.
A few minutes later, the exterminator, Jake Bowden, 57, of Lonoke saw Adams picking up some papers outside of the office and asked if he needed help. Adams said, "What do you want, bitch?" and hit Bowden several times with the cast.
Adams then struck the apartment manager and went into her office, where he began beating the insurance agent, Henry Vance, 54, of Little Rock. The apartment manager, Cynthia Brown, 48, entered the office and dialed 911 but couldn’t get through, police said. She went outside to seek help and accidentally locked Adams and Vance inside with her key, police said.
The manager and exterminator watched through a window as Adams repeatedly stomped Vance in the head, police said.
Eventually, a maintenance man unlocked the door and one of Adams’ brothers got Adams out of the office.
Adams then went to the church at East 10th Street and Shall Avenue and struck 64-year-old Arthur Ford with a fireplace poker and the cast. The preacher was on the floor when son-in-law Barnes, 35, of Little Rock arrived and pulled Adams away.
Adams then began beating Barnes, police said. Ford got his pistol and fired several shots at Adams, who ran outside and collapsed on the ground about 3:15 p.m. Ford’s wallet was found in one of Adams’ pockets, police said.
Vance was in critical condition Tuesday night at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center. Brown and Bowden didn’t suffer serious injuries, police said.
BY ANDY DAVIS
ARKANSAS Democrat-GAZETTE
A string of violent attacks Tuesday afternoon ended when a pastor shot and killed a man who attacked him and his son-in-law with a fireplace poker after breaking into an east Little Rock church.
Corey Adams’ 15 minute rampage began about 3 p.m. outside the management office of an apartment complex near The House of Prayer of the Apostolic Faith at 1400 E. 10th St.
Before he was killed, Adams, 30, robbed and struck an acquaintance, attacked a pest control worker and brutally beat an insurance salesman, who was critically injured, before fleeing into the church, police said.
Adams then forced his way into the Rev. Arthur Ford’s living quarters at the church, where Ford shot him several times with a pistol. Adams of Jacksonville was taken to St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, where he died.
Police said the shooting appeared to be justified although they will forward information to the prosecutor’s office for a final determination.
Detectives plan to question Adams’ relatives to determine what prompted the outburst. The acquaintance who was hit and robbed told police Adams was acting "crazy" and routinely took the drug phencyclidine hydrochloride, or PCP, known to cause bizarre behavior and numb users to pain.
"That’s one of the questions were trying to answer during the investigation — is what triggered his behavior," Little Rock police detective Ronnie Smith said.
More than a dozen of Ford’s relatives who gathered at St. Vincent, where Ford and his son-in-law, Vernon Barnes, were being treated, were asking the same question.
"Why would they do my brother like that? Why would they do that?" asked Ford’s sister, Beatrice Mitchell, 68, of Little Rock.
"It makes you scared of people, I’ll tell you," said niece Kathylene Austin, 54, of Little Rock.
Police said the attacks started when an acquaintance, Anthony Johnson, 39, saw Adams outside the management office at Eastview Terrace Apartments at 1200 Geyer St.
Adams, who had a cast on one arm, asked the apartment manager if he could use the phone. The manager told him no.
Adams then pulled out a pistol and ordered Johnson to give him his money. He took $220 in cash from Johnson and hit him with a jug of coins. Johnson ran away.
A few minutes later, the exterminator, Jake Bowden, 57, of Lonoke saw Adams picking up some papers outside of the office and asked if he needed help. Adams said, "What do you want, bitch?" and hit Bowden several times with the cast.
Adams then struck the apartment manager and went into her office, where he began beating the insurance agent, Henry Vance, 54, of Little Rock. The apartment manager, Cynthia Brown, 48, entered the office and dialed 911 but couldn’t get through, police said. She went outside to seek help and accidentally locked Adams and Vance inside with her key, police said.
The manager and exterminator watched through a window as Adams repeatedly stomped Vance in the head, police said.
Eventually, a maintenance man unlocked the door and one of Adams’ brothers got Adams out of the office.
Adams then went to the church at East 10th Street and Shall Avenue and struck 64-year-old Arthur Ford with a fireplace poker and the cast. The preacher was on the floor when son-in-law Barnes, 35, of Little Rock arrived and pulled Adams away.
Adams then began beating Barnes, police said. Ford got his pistol and fired several shots at Adams, who ran outside and collapsed on the ground about 3:15 p.m. Ford’s wallet was found in one of Adams’ pockets, police said.
Vance was in critical condition Tuesday night at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center. Brown and Bowden didn’t suffer serious injuries, police said.
