A crime stoppers tip led to the arrest of a suspect in the shooting death of a Port Arthur teen.

Marcus Wayne Barber, 18, was arrested by Port Arthur Police detectives on Friday for the murder of Mykol Parley, 18.

PAPD Maj. Raymond Clark said the tip came in late Thursday night. Barber was brought in for questioning and was released. He later returned to the police station with his mother and made a statement regarding the case.

Barker was transported to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility. Bond has not been set as of 7 p.m. Friday.

According to police, Parley was picked up by some friends who drove to the 3600 block of 38th Street about 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Witnesses told police the victim was shot in the head as he got out of the car near a vacant lot.

Parley was taken to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth where he died Wednesday afternoon from his injuries.

Services for Parley are pending at Moody-Harris and Robinson Funeral Home in Port Arthur.

Parley’s death is the fifth homicide in the city of Port Arthur this year.

The first homicide in 2009 happened on Feb. 21.

Dorothy Hickman, 91, was stabbed during a robbery at her home at Crystal Creek Apartments on Feb. 10.

The suspect entered her apartment through an unlocked door and asked for $5. When she told him she didn’t have the money, he attacked Hickman. The victim was transported to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth Intensive Care Unit in Beaumont and was expected to recover, according to an archive story.

She died 11 days later. Her murder has not been solved.

The city’s second homicide of the year was the stabbing death of Theresa Narcisse, 69.

Narcisse was stabbed in the eye during a disturbance on March 5 at her home at 3605 Procter St.

She was first transported to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth in Beaumont and later moved to Hermann Hospital in Houston where she remained in critical condition until her death four days later, on March 9.

Christine Denise Allen, 44, of Port Arthur, was arrested for the crime.

The city’s third homicide was the shooting death of a bicyclist.

Ronald Bridges, 52, was shot in the chest June 13 in the 1400 block of Fort Worth Avenue while riding his bicycle.

Witnesses told police Bridges was approached by a white van or SUV when the shooting occurred, according to an archive story. Words were exchanged between the victim and suspect before the shooting. Bridges was able to ride his bicycle back to his home before falling over in his driveway. While on the ground he told his roommate “I’ve been shot.”

Darius Rashard Stevenson, 24, of Port Arthur, was arrested less than two weeks after the shooting and is charged with the murder of Bridges.

The fourth homicide was the July 27 shooting death of Victor Santos Alvarez.

Alvarez, 35, died from a gunshot wound to the upper torso near his heart.

Police believe two men drove up to the house, got out and fired more than three shots at the home through the closed door. The victim was located inside the house near the front door.

Witnesses told police the suspect vehicle is a full-sized American-made pickup truck with “Chevrolet” written across the tailgate.

During the investigation police discovered cocaine at the home and on Alvarez’s body.

Alvarez had been in the U.S. for a year before his death.

Anyone with information about the murders of Hickman or Alvarez is urged to call EasTex Crime Stoppers at 724-TIPS. The names of those providing information will not be requested, and cash rewards could be earned.

mmeaux@panews.com