FORT SMITH -- A rural Sebastian County man with a shotgun wounded three sheriff's deputies late Monday before he was shot dead while pointing the gun at officers.
The three deputies, all members of the county's Special Weapons and Tactics team, were hit by buckshot pellets. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening, and all three were treated and released from Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, Chief Deputy Hobe Runion said. The deputies were placed on paid medical leave Tuesday.
Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck said the deputies were shot as they set up a perimeter around the house in the 1100 block of Sunny Hill Place east of Hackett in south Sebastian County.
"This was an ongoing, active-shooter situation where he was constantly firing rounds," Hollenbeck said.
Runion said the shooter fired more than 30 rounds during the nearly three-hour standoff.
It ended about 1 a.m. when the 48-year-old man, who Runion did not identify Tuesday, was shot when he tried to drive off in a pickup. Runion said a SWAT team member disabled the pickup, and the man got out of the vehicle pointing the shotgun at officers.
"As he got out, we believe he was going to shoot more rounds at our deputies," Runion said.
The officer who shot the man was placed on paid administrative leave pending completion of an internal investigation by the sheriff's office. Runion said the Arkansas State Police was conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting.
The man's body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for autopsy, Runion said.
Hollenbeck said he gave officers the authority to use deadly force. With the man shooting at deputies throughout the night, Hollenbeck said, he wanted them to know they had the legal right to defend themselves if they felt their lives were in jeopardy.
The standoff occurred in a neighborhood and trapped some residents in their homes, Hollenbeck said. SWAT team members used an armored vehicle to drive in front of the shooter's home to evacuate three people from a neighboring residence.
They also rescued the shooter's wife, Hollenbeck said. It was unclear from where she was rescued because Runion said the shooter was alone at his home when the gunfire started.
Hollenbeck said he was concerned about other people in the neighborhood if the shooter "went mobile."
The standoff was reminiscent of one at another rural Sebastian County residence on Aug. 10, 2016, when Billy Monroe Jones shot and killed longtime sheriff's Cpl. Bill Cooper, 65, while firing at officers after barricading himself in a house.
Cooper was one of several officers who responded to a call that Jones had fired shots at his father. When officers arrived, Jones pointed his gun at them, and the officers ran for cover. Jones shot Cooper in the neck, and Cooper died before other officers could crawl through the gunfire to assist him.
Hollenbeck said thoughts of Cooper were fresh in deputies' minds Monday night.
"Although we do have injured deputies, we are extremely grateful that they will be coming back to work," he said.
Runion said an off-duty Hackett police officer heard gunfire at 10:17 p.m. Monday. While investigating, he encountered the shooter standing in his driveway. As the officer approached, the man began shooting toward him with the shotgun.
The officer returned fire, retreated and called for help.
Sheriff's deputies and officers from nearly every law enforcement agency in Sebastian County were sent to Sunny Hill Place, where they came under fire upon arrival and set up a perimeter, Runion said.
The SWAT team took over the perimeter upon arrival, he said.
A crisis negotiator was called in and tried to contact the man in the house, but the man never responded, Runion said.
Hollenbeck said the investigation is ongoing. Investigators executed a search warrant at the man's home Tuesday and interviewed witnesses most of the day.
State Desk on 05/09/2018