Dallas deaths remembered in Fayetteville vigil

FAYETTEVILLE -- Leaders at St. James Missionary Baptist Church preached a message of love and unity Friday evening in the wake of two recent, fatal police-involved shootings and a deadly attack on the Dallas Police Department.

"We want to come in the name of love," said Curtiss Smith, a pastor at St. James. Because "love covers a multitude of sins. If we love one another, then we'll have another time when we'll get a chance to dialogue about the real issues that as a community we need to have."

More than 100 people -- young and old, black and white -- attended the vigil. In the sanctuary, shots of "hallelujah!" and "help us lord!" rang out from the pews as a projector displayed images of the victims and quotes from scripture. No police presence could be seen.

Dallas police released the identities of four police officers and a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer shot and killed by Micah Johnson, 25, in what authorities described as an "ambush-style attack" with a semi-automatic rifle Thursday night.

Johnson reportedly opened fire as dozens of people marched through downtown Dallas in protest of the fatal shootings of black men Alton Sterling, 37, in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile, 32, in Falcon Heights, Minn., by white police officers earlier this week. Cellphone footage of both killings has raised questions regarding officer use of force and civil rights. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Sterling's death and monitoring a separate investigation of Castile's.

St. James' vigil was organized to lift up words to heaven and pray that justice is served, said Rev. Chris Seawood, director of operations at the church. Seawood stressed the vigil was inclusive to everyone upset over gun violence in the country.

"We're not anti-police or pro-black, we're pro-life," Seawood said. "Divided we cannot stand, but united we can accomplish anything."

Police officers and sheriff's deputies in Benton and Washington counties have injured or killed six people in the last five years, according to prosecutors. In four cases, local prosecutors found the shootings justified, while in a fifth case, a special prosecutor determined police acted properly.

One case is still under investigation by Arkansas State Police.

There is no statute in Arkansas law requiring the State Police or any other nonlocal investigative entity in cases where police use lethal force, said Bill Sadler, spokesman for the Arkansas State Police. Sometimes police agencies request the State Police to investigate.

Normally, the agency will honor that request but has occasionally turned such requests down, he said. Cases where, for instance, several days have elapsed and the shooting scene is no longer secure have been turned down, he said.

"One of the terrible things about this is that Dallas is one of the most progressive police departments in the country," Rita Sklar, executive director of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said Friday morning. The ACLU has worked with Dallas police, among other agencies, to reduce the number of deaths in custody.

Many police departments, particularly Dallas, became convinced national uniform standards, uniform training and "real accountability" would do a great deal to both protect people in custody and police from allegations of racism, Sklar said.

Reforms like residents' review boards in lethal force cases and police practices taking cultural differences of various groups into account would reduce the dangers to everyone involved, she said.

"The police do a good job, and the vast majority of them are not violating the Constitution," she said. "They need to be safe."

Rep. Rebecca Petty, R-Rogers, is the mother of a murder victim who takes a particular legislative interest in police and public safety issues. She has also worked as a consultant on victims issues for the U.S. Department of Justice. Petty said no one has requested any change in how use of lethal force cases are investigated.

Police chiefs in Bentonville and Rogers said Friday officers weren't given any special instructions or alerts in response to the Dallas shootings.

Bentonville Chief Jon Simpson said providing quality service and solving cases helps to earn and keep the public's trust.

"Listening to complaints from citizens and thoroughly investigating all such complaints is very important as well," Simpson said. "This adds an important level of transparency. All these ideas work together to make a police department a true part of the community they serve rather than just the police department."

Rogers Chief Hayes Minor said thoughtful, direct and open communication can bridge the gap between police departments and communities they serve.

"There also has to be a level of respect and understanding," Minor said. "In the aftermath of weeks like this, passions are inflamed all around, and it's important for law enforcement officers to be the professionals they have been trained to be."

"Video from last night's incident showed officer after officer running toward the gunfire and keeping citizens safe," Minor said. "We applaud the courage these officers displayed under intense gunfire and mass chaos."

In Washington County, Springdale police deferred requests for comment to the department's Facebook page, where a message thanked residents for their support.

Kelly Cantrell, spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, said the shootings in Dallas didn't change the office's procedures.

"We're always on alert. It's the nature of our job, which, unfortunately, the Sheriff's Office has experienced first hand within the past two years with two of our deputies having been shot and seriously injured after responding to calls for help," Cantrell said.

Police on Friday cautiously monitored protests in Little Rock. Two on the steps of the Arkansas Capitol were peaceful Friday. Police said they would monitor a third protest today and that the department had no evidence of threats against police or demonstrators at any of the gatherings.

NW News on 07/09/2016