A suspect in the theft of a tractor has been shot and killed by a Baxter County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Monday night after a confrontation with a crossbow. Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says the shooting occurred in the Lone Rock area. The names of the suspect and the deputy involved are not yet being released pending the notification of the next of kin of the deceased suspect. The shooting is under investigation by Arkansas State Police and the Sheriff’s Office.
According to Montgomery, the deputy involved was dispatched to the Lone Rock Store at 7755 Push Mountain Road at approximately 6:11 Monday evening to take a theft report. After arriving at the store, the deputy was told a tractor, matching the description of one reported stolen in the same area earlier Monday, passed by the store and was headed west on Baxter County Road 72, adjacent to the store.
The deputy followed the tractor a short distance and was able to make contact with the suspect at approximately 6:49. Two minutes later, the deputy advised by radio shots had been fired and a man was down. Additional officers from multiple agencies responded, including an ambulance dispatched from Baxter Regional Medical Center and fire/rescue personnel from the Lone Rock Fire Department.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division took the lead in the investigation. Preliminary information indicates once the deputy stopped the tractor, the suspect confronted the deputy with a crossbow. A physical struggle ensued and the deputy shot him. The suspect was killed and the deputy sustained minor injury.
The suspect’s body has been taken to the Baxter County Coroner.
Other agencies assisting were the Mountain Home Police Department, Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Division and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Montgomery says additional information will be released when deemed appropriate by the investigating agencies.
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