Hempstead County authorities investigating shooting incident on Hwy 32 E

Hempstead County Investigators are investigating a shooting that occurred sometime between three and five o’clock Saturday morning. 

According to the victim Jarod Welch 19, of Texarkana, Arkansas he and a male passenger were driving in the 1300 block of Highway 32 East, they pulled over in front of a metal gate, to relieve themselves.   Welch stated once his passenger was out of the vehicle a gray SUV drove by shining a bright light at them.  The passenger fled into the woods, and he began backing out in the highway.  Welch stated that once he was out in the lane of traffic, pointed west, the gray SUV pulled in front of him and turned sideways, the driver exited the vehicle, threw a Crown Royal whiskey bottle at his windshield.  Welch stated that he had no idea who the man was and had never seen him before, so he drove around him and took off.  Welch stated the man pulled a handgun from his waist band and began shooting at him, shooting through the front passenger side window, striking him in his right thigh.  He also told authorities that the man emptied the gun at him as he was driving away, firing multiple shots. Welch said the man chased him all the way into Hope, through Hope and onto Interstate 30, where he reached speeds of 120 mph and finally lost him. Welch stated that he had tried to call his passenger and couldn’t reach him, so he thought he was dead.    

After arriving in Texarkana, Welch stated he called a friend to take him to the hospital, Victim stated that his friend took him to Wadley in Texarkana and dropped him off and left. Around 9 a.m. Saturday, Deputies was dispatched to the State Police Headquarters to meet with an individual who stated he was called by a person who was a passenger and witness to a shooting that had occurred earlier. The individual stated that he was on his way to the area of Hempstead 123 and Highway 32 to pick the passenger who was with Welch at the time of the shooting and wanted a Deputy to go with him.

Hempstead County Deputy Kristen Evans was dispatched to the area where she located a male subject walking on Hempstead 123. Deputy Evans asked the male subject who identified himself as Charles Ziska if he had called someone from Texarkana to come pick him up and he stated he had. According to Deputy Evans, Ziska stated that his friend was shot, and he fled the scene on foot to dodge the shots. Ziska stated that he then called his friend  to come pick him up and take him back to Texarkana.  Ziska took deputies to the area the incident had reportedly occurred at a deer lease approximately a mile and a half down Highway 32.

The investigation is ongoing.