LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Last week, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. declared a state of emergency for the city following a recent jump in violent crime.
Now, police are investigating yet another homicide that involved a stabbing on South Harrison Street.
Little Rock police identified the victim as 49-year-old Lawrence Parker.
His family said he had a birthday right around the corner.
Police said they were called to the area on a shots fired call last Friday.
When they arrived, they found Parker had been stabbed outside on his front yard.
Parker's family said he was just inside, but stepped out to smoke a cigarette.
After about 15 or 20 minutes, a neighbor knocked on Flossie Dumas's door saying her son, Lawrence, was on the ground in the snow.
"I told my other son Benny to go out there and check to see what's wrong with him," said Dumas.
His brother Benny said he couldn't get him to open his eyes.
Parker was number seven of eight kids who were living with her inside the home, taking care of her since she's now in a wheelchair.
"When I come home he has supper done and he fixes my plate and he brings it to me," said Dumas.
The family placed flowers inside the home where Parker took his last breath.
His extended family stopped by to pay their respects. They're standing together to call for change.
They want everybody to stop the violence.
"I don't care what that boy did to him, he didn't have to kill him," said Dumas.
Theresa Bowen is Parker's niece.
In a desperate plea for justice, she wants people to understand that taking a loved one hurts deeply.
"It's not right. It's not right for us to have to continue to have to hurt like this. It's not right, Lord. This is so painful," said Bowens.
She said she's not stopping until the case is solved.
"He looked at me like I was the queen that I am. He cherished us. He helped us. He didn't bother nobody. For someone to take his life like that, to do him like that. To do him like that. That's not right. That was overkill. We just want justice," said Bowens.
Parker's death is the city's seventh homicide for the year.
Investigators have not released any suspect information at this time.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call police.