Sebastian County Deputy Bill Cooper, who had been shot in the neck, was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon at Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith.
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William “Bill” Cooper, who was shot and killed after responding to a domestic call in Sebastian County Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. The sheriff said responding officers found Jones with a rifle and body armor and that Jones fired at Deputy Bill Cooper and Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells, among others.
Jones also reportedly shot a police robot and disabled it during the standoff.
“Another ideal example of how local law enforcement comes to work every day; they leave their family to serve and protect”, Hollenbeck said two hours after Deputy Bill Cooper died in surgery and after Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was injured.
Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was grazed by a bullet and suffered minor injuries, KHBS-TV reported.
A spokesman for the Fort Smith Police Department said three officers (all from different law enforcement agencies) were originally called to Jones’ residence for a dispute between Jones and his father.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson stressed the need for the community to be supportive of police and said the shooting demonstrates the danger law enforcement faces.
A petition to revoke a suspended sentence was supposed to bring Jones into court on Wednesday morning, according to KSFM. Other deputies took the risk and pulled Cooper and Spells away from the area and to first responders to be transported to the hospital.
Markward said Jones once helped him split wood, but said he hadn’t seen the man in a few years. Formal charges have not yet been filed and more charges are likely to be added.
When officers arrived, Jones was waiting and ambushed them, police said.
“Deputy Cooper was a dedicated member of the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office who put his life on the line every day to defend our community”.
Currently, Jones is facing charges of two counts of felony first-degree battery and possession of firearms by certain persons, the Sebastian County prosecutor’s office tells the station. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Philip Pevehouse told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2b6eJqC ) that officers have surrounded a home near Hackett, about 115 miles west of Little Rock.
No details about the officers’ conditions have been released.
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Pevehouse says the shooting happened Wednesday morning as the officers responded to an unspecified call for service. The suspect opened fire, killing one officer and injuring a sheriff as well as a K-9 officer. Arkansas State Police is providing assistance but referred calls to local authorities.
