SEARCY - A prosecutor ruled Friday that the Arkansas State Police’s fatal shooting of a White County man during an altercation near Judsonia last weekend was justified.
State police said earlier this week that Charles Adrien Martin, 40, died early Tuesday after he was shot during an exchange of gunfire with troopers during a standoff at his home.
In a letter to state police Director Stan Witt, Prosecuting Attorney Chris Raff wrote that he had reviewed the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Raff concluded: “It is my opinion that the Arkansas State Police officers were justified under Arkansas law in their use of deadly force and that they were reasonable in their belief that such deadly force was necessary to defend themselves in response to the use of deadly force by Martin, who was shooting at them with a .44Magnum handgun.”
Raff said in an interview that he had talked with state police. He said he also reviewed information on the shooting and viewed a video of the events taken by a state police helicopter.
The standoff began about 8 p.m. Monday, after local law enforcement officers responded to a call from residents near an area off Arkansas 367 north of Judsonia about a man making threats to neighbors, according to state police.
After Martin fired a gun at an officer, state police were called and a SWAT team was put in place.
Unable to communicate with Martin, state police dispatched a robot that entered his home through the front door. State police said he shot at the robot, then fired toward the SWAT team.
State troopers assigned to the team fired back and wounded Martin, who later was pronounced dead, police said.
No one else was wounded.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 10 on 09/21/2013