On Wednesday, at least two Arkansas police officers including Hackett Chief of Police Darrell Spells were shot. Here are five things you need to know about the shooting:
- The shooting came as a result of the police being called as a result of a family disturbance.
- The accused shooter is Billy M. Jones, according to 40/29 News. He has a 2007 conviction for manufacture and possession of a controlled substance and a 2011 conviction for theft of property. Both of those convictions resulted in his being sentenced to 60 months but the sentence was suspended, In February 2016 he was charged with possession of firearms and possession of a controlled substance, according to Fox News. Neighbors told 40/29 News that Billy Jones and his family own a large number of weapons at their home.
- Spells’ condition was hospitalized at Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith, according to NEWS5. He was released at 10:30 a.m. The other officer, a deputy is in critical condition.
- Jones is hiding in a mobile home, according to CSD spokesman Philip Pevehouse. NEWS5 reported that he had a semi-automatic weapon.
- The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said a SWAT team was present. The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Smith Police, Greenwood Police and Arkansas State Police all joined in the response.
Spells has been police chief since December 2013 in Hackett, a town of just over 800 people, 170 miles west of Little Rock.