September 2, 2026

COTTON PLANT, Ark. — The Woodruff County Sheriff’s Office and Cotton Plant Police Department have requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to investigate a shooting that injured two people in Cotton Plant on Monday, August 31, 2026.

Upon their arrival at a home on Conley Drive, law enforcement officers located Elana Martin, 19, of Little Rock, at the front door, suffering from a gunshot wound to her thigh. Martin was transported by ambulance to Unity Health in Searcy.

Authorities also located Zephaniah Wheeler, 20, of Horn Lake, Miss., at the front door of a separate Conley Drive home. Wheeler had sustained gunshot wounds to his chest and arm and was airlifted to UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock, where he was listed in stable condition following surgery.

Wheeler and Martin are believed to have been injured in the same incident. The investigation remains active and ongoing. No further information is available for release at this time.