79-year-old shoots apartment manager during inspection, then sets fire, Arkansas cops say

A 79-year-old man shot two employees of an Arkansas apartment complex, killing one, then set his unit on fire, police told news outlets.

Police received a call about a shooting at the Sheridan Heights Estates at about 2:54 p.m., July 10, the Sheridan Police Department said in a news release.

Two employees, the apartment manager and a maintenance worker, entered the suspect’s apartment for a routine inspection, police told KARK.

During the inspection, the man opened fire, killing the manager, the station reported. The worker was shot too but managed to escape, and he was found wounded in a stairwell by police as they arrived at the scene.

As officers neared the unit, they smelled a powerful odor coming from inside, police told KTHV. Then there was a blast and the unit went up in flames.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, police entered and arrested the suspect, the outlet reported. The body of the apartment manager, identified as Katharyn Barraclough Linker, was found inside, according to the station.

The suspect, Ryan Hodges, has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as first-degree battery and arson, police told the outlet.

Sheridan is roughly 35 miles south of Little Rock.

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 4:33 PM with the headline "79-year-old shoots apartment manager during inspection, then sets fire, Arkansas cops say."