Social media posts help police track down murder suspect
By Brett Rains
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FORT SMITH, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — Fort Smith police say social media activity played a key role in locating a man accused of murder who was on the run after a deadly shooting.
According to investigators, Derrick Guinn posted about the case on Facebook as officers searched for him. Police say they used a video posted to an account with a different name—along with phone tracking—to narrow down where he was hiding.
Fort Smith police say the video is now evidence in an ongoing murder investigation. The video was posted Saturday evening with the caption “Still running.”
Police say the video shows Guinn walking through the woods about 30 minutes after the shooting he is accused of committing.
According to the probable cause arrest affidavit, the shooting happened May 2, 2026, at a home on Holly Street, where Guinn was with his girlfriend at her mother’s house when the couple began fighting. Witnesses told investigators Guinn started hitting his girlfriend and her mother.
According to the affidavit, 35-year-old Jimmy Neal tried to intervene and was shot. The bullet also struck a 12-year-old boy who was behind Neal. Investigators say the boy is expected to be OK, but Neal died from his injury.
Guinn ran from the home, but police told 40/29 News they used the Facebook video and his cell phone to track him to woods near the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. After more than 12 hours in the woods, police say Guinn turned himself in on Sunday.
Guinn remains in jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond. He is facing first-degree murder and attempted murder charges and is scheduled for an initial court appearance Wednesday morning.
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