An Arkansas Sheriff’s deputy, William “Bill” Cooper, and the Chief of the Hackett police, Darrell Spells, were among the first officers to arrive on the scene.
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Sebastian County Deputy Bill Cooper, who had been shot in the neck, was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon at Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith. The sheriff said responding officers found Jones with a rifle and body armor and that Jones fired at Cooper and Spells, among others.
A man suspected of fatally shooting an Arkansas sheriff’s deputy and wounding a local police chief on Wednesday was arrested after a standoff with law enforcement officers at a rural home that lasted several hours, officials said. Hollenbeck said Cooper was around age 65 and expected to retire soon. Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was also being treated at the hospital, but has since been released. Earlier in the day Jones pointed a rifle at this father, Hollenbeck says, who then called 911. Jones had a hearing scheduled for Wednesday at a court in nearby Fort Smith to have a previous suspended sentence reviewed and possibly revoked, Hollenbeck said.
Jones surrendered to law enforcement at 11:46 a.m.
A K9 officer, Kina, from the Greenwood Police Department was shot. Corporal Cooper has been employed with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office since 2001 and served five years with the Fort Smith Police Department. In the commotion, a police dog was shot and ran into the woods and remained missing later Wednesday. Drones and a robot were used to acquire intelligence on Jones, who was holed up in his mobile home.
The suspect in the shootings, Billy Monroe Jones, 44, was taken into custody shortly before 12 p.m. from his home near Mockingbird Hill Road. News stories displayed here appear in our category for US Headlines and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization.
“We have limited information as to why this actually happened”, Hollenbeck said.
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District 75 state Rep. Charlotte V. Douglas, R-Alma, called the shooting a heinous crime of cowardice.
Hutchinson said in a statement that he extended condolences to Cooper’s family and the entire law enforcement community. Around 300 personnel from law enforcement agencies responded to the shooting.
“It’s a risky business, and it really illustrates the importance of our support for law enforcement”, Hutchinson told reporters at an event in North Little Rock. “I join with all Arkansans as we mourn the passing of this selfless servant and keep his family and loved ones and all of the law enforcement community in our thoughts and prayers”.
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Police authorities said that Jones was taken to the Crawford County Detention Center.
