The man killed in a Sunday morning shooting in the waterfront area of Regional Park has been identified.
Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley said the man was identified as Keyyontae Vignaude, 25. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:13 a.m., Kelley said.
Vignaude’s body was lying in a roadway near the waterfront of the Arkansas River at the park. The body has been sent to the state Crime Lab for an autopsy.
Pine Bluff police say a large group gathered in the park just after 1 a.m., well after the 9 p.m. closing time, when gunshots were fired in the group. Two other people were wounded, but suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
Police have not yet identified a suspect.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Vignaude was also shot by a police officer at a party celebrating the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s homecoming at the Sahara Temple downtown on Oct. 17, 2021. Eleventh West Circuit Prosecutor Kyle Hunter wrote in the summary of his investigation into the incident an officer observed Vignaude “backing out of the building firing a handgun with a green laser into the building.” Vignaude fell to the ground after four rounds of shots from the officer.
Vignaude was treated and released from a Little Rock hospital. Hunter ruled the officer “was justified under Arkansas law in using deadly force.”
Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration’s Respect for Life Campaign announced Monday it is advocating for a gun-removal strategy in response to what it calls “a widespread availability of firearms and their role in local violence.” PBICVR, headed by the Rev. Jesse Turner, cited the killing of a 16-year-old earlier this year, the shooting of a 6-year-old police say was by a man riding a red ATV in the 1600 block of West 25th Avenue on Saturday evening and Vignaude’s death.
Elm Grove Baptist Church, 3114 S. Mississippi St. in Pine Bluff, will toll its bell at 2 p.m. Tuesday to honor the 14 lives taken by homicide in Pine Bluff, as well as the 6-year-old and Vignaude.
“Pine Bluff churches with bells are invited to join in ringing them and offering prayers at the same time (Tuesday),” Turner wrote.
“As the Elm Grove church bell resonates, the names of the homicide victims will be recited, and prayers will be said for the 14 grieving families and for the person who died in the chaos,” Turner wrote. “I am dedicated to contributing my knowledge and skills to this community effort by proposing a ‘Gun Removal Strategy’ to clear our streets of guns. Therefore, as a Weed and Seed coordinator and a crime practitioner, I’m submitting this strategy to the Pine Bluff Police Department for their consideration.”
The initiative reads:
“Citizens must have committed a traffic violation, or the officer must have probable cause to stop the vehicle.
“(a) Officers will be trained to look beyond the violation and build community rapport by issuing more warning tickets.
“(b) Officers will be trained to engage with citizens to enhance their investigations.
“(c) Officers will request all licenses, registration and insurance. Citizens who provide the required documents will be asked for consent to search their vehicle.
“(d) Officers will receive additional training on the prerequisites for conducting a vehicle search, including an inventory search.”
Among the benefits Turner states will come from the initiative: citizens will receive more warning tickets; seeking probable cause and asking for consent will lead to more frequent discovery and removal of weapons; and some citizens will be encouraged to leave weapons at home.