Shooting Outside Arkansas Youth Shelter: Slain Teen's Family Sought Help

MARION, AR — The mother of a high schooler shot to death by police outside an Arkansas youth shelter said the family was seeking help for her son because he was being disruptive.

Aries Clark, 16, was fatally shot Tuesday night at East Arkansas Youth Services in Marion, about 10 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee. The boy's mother, Vicky Clark, told Memphis television station WMC that family members were working on finding therapy options for her son, a student at West Memphis High School.

Police haven't released details about what led to the shooting or why officers were called to the shelter. Marion Police Chief Gary Kelley told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that no officers were hurt but that his department will not release any details while an investigation into the shooting is underway. (For more Across Arkansas news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Memphis and Little Rock media reported that two Marion police officers were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation moves forward. The department hasn't named them.

The shelter's operator says no one in the facility was harmed and that its employees are cooperating with investigators.

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