Community gathers for prayer vigil honoring those killed during Conway shooting
Following a tragic and deadly shooting at a park in Conway over the weekend, the community came together to honor and pay their respects to the lives lost.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A party held at Conway’s Fifth Avenue Park on Sunday quickly turned deadly after shots were fired. The tragic incident left two people dead and nine more were injured as a result of the shooting.
Now, community members have been left with concerns over what happened.
“All I can say is it was a good time, until everything switched, in the blink of an eye,” said Cartie Braggs, who was at the deadly shooting.
Questions remain unanswered as to what exactly happened, and who the suspects are that fired the deadly shots.
Pastor LaKiesha Braggs of Awareness Church Inc. explained how her son was in the crowd at the park in Conway when the shots were fired.
“Seeing my son and all his friends distraught, and I have a ministry, of course, it kind of pricked my heart. [It prompted me to say] if y’all can party together, you can pray together,” described LaKiesha Braggs.
Cartie Braggs agreed with his mom to host a prayer vigil for the community and hopes that through time and prayer, healing will come.
“I pray to God that it brings healing from prayer, but I know this is going to take way more time than anything. A lot of friends that I have that are mentally unstable and unsure because of that situation,” said Cartie Braggs.
The victims of the deadly shooting were identified as 24-year-old Tatayana Penister of England and 23-year-old Demetrius Feemster of Little Rock.
Meanwhile, Chase Stone was next to Feemster when he got shot. He described the moment as a moment of panic and tragedy.
“To see my teammate now on the ground. He’s not getting up. It’s people on the ground. It’s people screaming, it’s people crying. It’s people holding their arms like you wouldn’t have thought, like you was in Vietnam or something, or in a war,” Stone explained.
Stone also shared that it wasn’t the first shooting he had witnessed. In November of 2024, he was at the shooting that happened at the Park Plaza Mall on Black Friday.
“A situation could be solved through words, and just to put the guns down. It’s worthless,” Stone added.
In the wake of the shooting, Cartie Braggs reflected on two lives lost and countless lives that were changed.
“They didn’t deserve it. Gone too soon. Still a lot of life to live,” he said.
No information has been released on any possible suspects, but police said there were at least six weapons used, and over 100 rounds were fired in the shooting.