Gov. Asa Hutchinson says the shooting of two law enforcement officers in western Arkansas underscores the danger officers face statewide.
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No details about the officers’ conditions have been released, but Pevehouse identified them as a fellow sheriff’s deputy and a Hackett police officer.
The other officer, Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells, had “superficial wounds”. Information released by the Sebastian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office states that Deputy Cooper was shot in the head and Chief Spells was shot in the leg. KFSM 5 News reported that a K-9 officer that was inside a auto when the incident began was shot and ran away from the scene.
Billy Jones is the suspected shooter. 253 and Boone Road.
Jones pinned down officers from multiple departments outside the house for hours and shot a police dog and a robot during the confrontation, Hollenbeck said.
An Arkansas county sheriff says a man suspected of killing a deputy and wounding a police chief has been taken into police custody.
Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck tells Fort Smith television station KHBS (http://bit.ly/2biHmyK ) that the suspect was arrested Wednesday. Eventually, Jones waved a white towel at authorities and peacefully surrendered.
A bomb squad was called in to examine Jones’ home after authorities learned he had a license for explosives.
Jones was previously arrested in 2016 for possession of firearms for certain persons and possession of a controlled substance.
According to neighbors, Jones has terminal cancer, an arsenal of weapons and “has nothing to lose”. Police said a rifle was used in the standoff. Dozens of police vehicles, including a SWAT truck, quickly descended on the area.
James Markward, who lives nearby, said he heard commotion early Wednesday morning in the area, which is about 115 miles west of Little Rock.
Deputy Cooper was employed with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office since 2001.
The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office told KFSM that one of its deputies and Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells were injured.
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Law enforcement pulled Deputy Cooper and Chief Spells from the scene and began returning shots at Jones. “Thousands of times a day we do it right, but over the last several years it appears we focus on those incidents where we mess up”.
