Jennings Osborne
William Jennings Bryan Osborne Jr., who built a medical-testing empire and used that wealth for philanthropy and an extravagant Christmas light display, has died.
One deadly night
A shooting divides force, spurs look at policy
The night Eugene Ellison died he was sitting alone in his apartment with the door open. Two off-duty Little Rock police officers working security for the apartment owner stopped at Ellison’s open door, saw a broken coffee table and asked if the 67-year-old was OK. He replied that he was. Yet, less than 15 minutes later, Ellison lay dying on the apartment floor, felled by two gunshots fired by one of the officers. Ellison’s death has roiled emotions and strained relationships inside the Little Rock Police Department, not least because he was the father of two respected officers. Although the Prosecuting Attorney’s office ruled the shooting justifiable, questions remain about the conduct of the officers and about Ellison’s violent response to their presence. Those questions likely will lead to changes in police procedures.
