EUDORA, Ark. — Update (12/29/2022): Eudora Mayor Tomeka Butler announced during a town hall on Thursday that the city has extended its ongoing curfew through Monday, Jan. 3 at 6 a.m. due to the state of civil emergency.
"This action was taken to protect every family in the city," Butler said. "No matter race, age, or where you live. Families all over are hurting from these senseless acts. Our elderly, my people of wisdom, they are afraid."
Butler said daycares closed early on Thursday due to the fear of violence. She also called on people to put a stop to the crime.
Eudora Police Chief Mark Pitts provided us with more details on the situation and said there was a wave of shootings in people's homes early last week. He said they've reached out to county and state law enforcement for help as some officers are working 16-hour shifts.
An Arkansas mayor has placed a curfew in their small town following a string of violent crimes.
Tomeka Butler, mayor of Eudora, declared a civil emergency alongside the town's curfew after multiple shootings there.
Butler made the address overnight as she went live through the city's Facebook account, highlighting the recent spike in violent crime, which includes a Christmas Eve incident that killed one person and injured a second.
"Our city has been recently plagued with senseless acts of violence which has led me to declare a state of civil emergency curfew effective immediately for all citizens between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.," Butler said.
The only exceptions to the curfew are for work or medical reasons. The Eudora Police Department will enforce the curfew and if they pull you over, you could be searched and ticketed.
Since Butler's announcement, authorities with the Arkansas State Police have confirmed that they're investigating the Christmas Eve incident.
Authorities identified the victim of that shooting to be 47-year-old Martene S. Frazell. They added that 40-year-old Jermaine Lindsey was also injured after being shot.
Butler has since scheduled a town hall meeting that's set to take place on Thursday, which is where she'll discuss recent and present potential solutions.
We went to Eudora to get more information about the violence and the purpose of the curfew— the mayor told us she was not available.
The Eudora Police Department explained that they would not speak until the meeting on Thursday.
We will update this article as more information becomes available.