Police officers shot in northwest Arkansas

Local media described the suspect as a 34-year-old man who had previously been convicted on drug charges. Jones also shot at a police robot “used to gather intelligence from the scene”, he said. Other deputies took the risk and pulled Cooper and Spells away from the area and to first responders to be transported to the hospital.

“Jones wanted to cause what was told to us as a “ruckus” and he was due in court in Fort Smith regarding a petition to revoke a suspended sentence charge”, Hollenbeck told reporters.

A deputy with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office is reported in critical condition after being shot Wednesday morning. Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was also shot and suffered superficial wounds. A woman who claims to be Spells’ mother said her son’s head was grazed by a bullet.

A manhunt for Jones was underway for about an hour, before officers realized Jones was baricaded inside the Greenwood home. The town has around 800 residents. According to Arkansas Online, SWAT teams and two helicopters were also sent to the scene after the shooting.

Pevehouse says the shooting happened Wednesday morning as the officers responded to an unspecified call for service.

CBS affiliate KFSM reports: “The suspect has been identified as Billy Jones of Greenwood, Greenwood city leaders confirmed”.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R-Arkansas, says the shooting underscores the danger officers face statewide.

Drivers said Highway 253 is blocked in both the north and southbound directions.

Officers have surrounded a home is a rural, wooded area near Hackett where the shooter is believed to be “holed up” inside, Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Philip Pevehouse told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2b6eJqC ). Jones, who had body armor, began firing multiple rounds at officers with an assault rifle. Responding to a 911 call, police arrived at the residence.

“Deputy Cooper was a dedicated member of the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office who put his life on the line every day to defend our community”. “My neighbor called me and asked if I was shooting, and I said ‘No, not me'”.