HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. – A man is facing murder charges in Phillips County after police say he shot and killed his brother-in-law over the weekend.
Authorities said 56-year-old Howard Tate has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 48-year-old Joe Clayton.
Investigators said officers with the Helena-West Helena Police Department responded to a disturbance at a home in the 800 block of Georgia Street early Sunday evening.
When they arrived at the scene, the officers found Clayton lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to Helena Regional Medical Center but later died from his injuries.
Police say they identified Tate as a suspect in the case after speaking to witnesses on scene and getting video evidence and took him into custody.
Following his first appearance in circuit court Tuesday, Tate is being held in the Philips County Detention Center with a bond of $500,000.