A Sebastian County sheriff’s deputy has died, while a west Arkansas town’s police chief was injured Wednesday when a man opened fire on officers. In the commotion, a police dog was shot and ran into the woods and remained missing later Wednesday.
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Former Fort Smith Police Department detective, David Young said Cooper was the type of man who came to every event in the community and as a former law-enforcement member, it feels good to be supported by everyone. Jones had barricaded himself inside his home following an incident that took place at 7:15 a.m.in the area of Hwy.
Sebastian County sheriff’s office investigator Philip Pevehouse tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that one sheriff’s deputy and one Hackett Police Department employee were hit Wednesday morning.
Hollenbeck said Cooper was around age 65 and “about ready to retire”.
Jones is also said to have shot and disabled a police robot that was being used to confirm Jones was inside the home where he was holding officers at bay.
Hollenbeck said the sheriff’s office was “certainly looking into” whether the shooting was a planned attack. 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.
Suspected shooter Billy Jones has been taken into custody, according to the Sebastian County Sheriff. Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was also shot and suffered superficial wounds.
“It’s a risky business and it really illustrates the importance of our support for law enforcement”, he said.
Multiple politicians released statements on the death of Deputy Cooper, including Governor Hutchinson, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Senator John Boozman. Drivers in the area said the highway was blocked in both the north and southbound directions for several hours after the shooting incident.
Local media described the suspect as a 34-year-old man who had previously been convicted on drug charges.
Stay with us for more details as they become available.
No details about the officers’ conditions have been released.
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Pevehouse couldn’t immediately be reached by The Associated Press. “It just appears this guy was waiting on us to get here”, he said. This includes the preparation of derivative works of, or the incorporation of such content into other works.
