FAYETTEVILLE — The officer who shot a bank robbery suspect to death Wednesday is a 10-year veteran of the Fayetteville Police Department and a former officer of the year.
Detective David Williams was identified Thursday and the officer who shot 29-year-old Matthew Lloyd Andersen of Elkins.
A spokesman said Williams fired three shots at Andersen after he responded to a bank robbery attempt at the Arvest Bank at Garland Avenue and Wedington Drive on Wednesday afternoon.
Andersen died shortly after arriving at Washington Regional Medical Center. Police initially spelled his last name as Anderson, but on Thursday corrected it to Andersen.
Williams arrived at the scene in an unmarked Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser seconds before other officers responded, police said.
“He just happened to be in the area,” Fayetteville police Sgt. Bill Phelan, the department’s spokesman, said. “It’s not uncommon for detectives in plain clothes to respond to a big crime like this. They’re often called to work the streets during bigger events, such as football games or large festivals. They receive the same gun training as patrol officers.”
Williams was joined moments later by Officer Thomas Reed and Sgts. Shannon Gabbard and Chris Moad.
Police said the officers found Andersen in a white Honda Accord near the drive-through window of the bank. After officers announced their presence, Andersen began to back the car away from an officer blocking the front of his car and nearly struck two officers behind his car, police said.
Officers ordered Anderson to stop and show his hands, police said, but he instead began ramming a bank customer’s car that was behind him in the drive-through.
“The exact location of the officers in relation to Andersen’s vehicle is still being investigated,” Phelan said. “We know they were behind him, but we don’t know if they were between him and the other car or if they were off to the side. We just know that he almost backed into them.”
Williams, who was not the closest officer to Andersen, fired three shots from his 40-caliber Glock handgun to “stop the threat” Andersen posed, police said.
Police have not said how many times Andersen was hit. No officers were injured during the altercation.
“We’re not releasing where the suspect was struck until we have official confirmation from the state medical examiner to see if he was penetrated by all three rounds,” Phelan said.
The two occupants of the car rammed by the Andersen weren’t injured. They, along with two occupants inside the building, were treated at the scene by first responders for anxiety. Police have declined to release the names of the people in the car rammed by Andersen.
Andersen’s body was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory Medical Examiner’s Office in Little Rock for a formal autopsy. Williams has been placed on paid administrative leave while police conduct an internal investigation to determine if he violated departmental policies.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an investigation to determine if any laws were broken in the police response.
A witness on Wednesday who was about 500 feet away at a Harps Food Store said he saw the officer who fired pull into the bank’s lot, exit his car and fire three shots without shouting any commands. Phelan said Williams did order Andersen to stop.
“There were verbal commands and orders given,” Phelan said. “Not only by him, but by the officers behind (Andersen).”
Phelan said investigators believe Andersen acted alone, even though dispatch records indicate a note he passed to a window teller said “My partners are at the front and back entrances looking for runners. Fill a bag with what’s in the register. You have one minute. Don’t hit the panic button or you will be in for a painful experience.”
Police are reviewing video surveillance recorded by bank cameras, Phelan said.
Since 2000, Andersen has been arrested in connection with driving while intoxicated, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to deliver (marijuana) and manufacturing a controlled substance.
His father, University of Arkansas associate professor Craig Andersen, declined a request for an interview Thursday.
According to Phelan, Andersen was married but had no children at the time of his death.
Williams, who’s the son of retired Ozark Guidance Center Director David Williams, joined the Fayetteville Police Department in 1998 after working as an emergency medical technician and paramedic in Austin, Texas, for nearly 15 years. Like all rookie officers, he spent the first part of his career patrolling the streets of Fayetteville. It took him nearly six years to work his way up to detective.
Calls made to Williams’ work pager weren’t returned Thursday evening.