HOT SPRINGS -- The Mountain Pine police chief was wounded Wednesday morning during an exchange of gunfire with an armed man who was shot and killed in a remote area off Little Blakely Creek Road in Jessieville.
Mountain Pine Police Chief Chad King, who is also a commissioned Garland County sheriff's deputy, was transported by LifeNet Emergency Medical Services to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs.
Garland County Sheriff Mike McCormick said King was in stable condition at the hospital and that he was "conscious and alert" and able to give McCormick and investigators details about what happened. The man's name was not released Wednesday pending further investigation and notification of next of kin.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by Garland County Coroner Stuart Smedley and the body has been sent to the state Crime Laboratory, McCormick said.
At a news conference later Wednesday afternoon, McCormick said sheriff's dispatchers received a call at 8:39 a.m. regarding a criminal trespassing complaint at 2998 Little Blakely Creek Road but that "all our deputies were busy on other calls."
McCormick said King was notified and volunteered to respond. He reportedly arrived on the scene about 8:58 a.m., McCormick said, and they had no further contact with King until 9:18 a.m., when there was a transmission from King's radio that shots had been fired and a request for an ambulance.
Law enforcement officers from the sheriff's office, Hot Springs Village Police Department, Arkansas State Police and National Park Service responded but "we were unable to make contact from 9:18 to 9:29," McCormick said.
Officers arrived on the scene at 9:29 and found King shot but was conscious. They also located the suspect, who had been shot and died.
"It's still very early in the investigation, and there is very little information I can pass on at this time," McCormick said.
McCormick confirmed the suspect was armed and there was an exchange of gunfire with King.
"Obviously, this strikes at the heart strings of the law enforcement community, nationally and not just in Garland County," he said. "Unfortunately, it's not an if but a when for these situations to occur."
Garland County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Hinojosa said it was his understanding that King had approached the man about the criminal trespass call, checked his ID and everything seemed OK before a confrontation occurred.
Roger Hood lives up the hill from where the shooting took place and said he heard gunshots.
"It sounded like four shots," Hood said.
Another area resident, Danny Jones, said King lived in the area and would often patrol and answer calls there.
"If they get a call from anywhere around here, Chad's going to be on it," he said.
Jones said some residents had noticed a dark van in the area "the last couple of days," coming in and out of the side road near where the shooting occurred. He said no one knew the man, but one female resident had spoken to him once and the suspect told her he was "visiting someone down here."
Another resident near the shooting scene reportedly called in the criminal trespass complaint after seeing the van in the area again.
A bystander at the scene said one of the residents had approached the man with a shotgun and questioned why he was at that location and told the man he was trespassing. Then the resident called to report the criminal trespass.
Information for this article was contributed by Colbie McCloud and Jay Bell of The Sentinel-Record.
State Desk on 01/28/2016