Booneville Police Chief Albert Brown was recovering Wednesday from a leg wound he suffered when he was shot while responding to a call a man was suicidal.
A news release from the police department said Brown and two other officers responded to a 911 call about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at an apartment where a man with a long gun and a handgun emerged from his apartment.
"The man came out of his apartment armed," the release said. "Chief Brown tried to disarm and tackle the suspect. During the struggle, Chief Brown received a gunshot wound to the leg and a dislocated shoulder."
Logan County Sheriff Boyd Hicks said the shooting occurred so quickly and the suspect was so close neither Brown nor the officers had a chance to return fire. Brown was shot with the handgun, Hicks said.
"He arrested the guy after he shot him," Hicks said of Brown. "He placed the man in custody."
Police arrested was Gregory Rongey, 49, of Booneville. According to the Arkansas State Police, which was requested to assist in the investigation, Rongey was being held on a first-degree battery charge in the Yell County Detention Center in Danville.
After the shooting, an officer with Brown drove him to Mercy Hospital in Booneville, Hicks said. Brown later was transferred to Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, where hospital spokesman Jennifer Cook said Brown was listed in good condition Wednesday afternoon.
Booneville Mayor Jerry Wilkins said the bullet pierced Brown's leg so surgery wasn't necessary, but he said Brown lost a lot of blood from the shooting.
"Probably the reason he's laid up in the hospital shot is because he leads by example," Wilkins said.
Wilkins said he believed Brown and the officers handled the situation well. In capturing Rongey, he said, they saved his life.
Brown has been a member of the Booneville Police Department for 15 years and chief for 10 years, Wilkins said.
Wilkins praised Brown as being popular in the community and working well with his officers.
NW News on 04/27/2017