Two officers shot, suspect killed in shooting at Arkansas Walmart
Two officers were shot and a suspect was killed in a shooting Monday morning at a Walmart in Forrest City, Arkansas, police said. Law enforcement said two police officers were called to the store in Forrest City, about 85 miles east of Little Rock, after the suspect began making threats.
Forrest City Police Chief Deon Lee said the officers responded to the Walmart after someone called police around 10:30 a.m. to report a man who was "kind of talking out of his head."
The suspect said he was going to blow up the Walmart, CBS affiliate WREG-TV reported. The officers approached the suspect, and that's when shots were fired.
NOW: We just arrived to the Walmart in Forrest City. Chaotic out here as several officers blocked this area off and people trying to figure out what’s going on. Police say two officers were shot and the suspect is dead. @3onyourside pic.twitter.com/6F7B6DdV9u
— Joneé Lewis WREG (@JoneeLewisTV) February 10, 2020
The suspect died and the two officers were both reportedly struck by gunfire.
Lee said one of the officers was taken to a Memphis hospital, where he was in surgery, but the initial prognosis is "he's going to be OK." The other was treated at a local hospital and released.
Lee said the suspect was known to officers but never gave any indication he might be capable of this kind of crime. The person has not been named.
Tammy Priddy, 57, works at Simmons Eye Center in the Walmart, according to The Associated Press. She said she was preparing patient records for the day when she heard eight shots, and she hid under a counter in the lab until the gunshots stopped.
"The first two shots kind of startled me, and then a coworker came in and said it was gunfire," Priddy told the AP.
She said she and a coworker ran from the building and officers outside the Walmart ordered her to get as far away from the building as possible. She was not injured.
"I was too afraid to think of anything except to get to safety," she said. "We kept our minds straight to where we were safe and we were able to get to safety."
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division has been called in to investigate, a state police spokesman told CBS News. The ATF was also investigating.
A Walmart spokesman told CBS News: "We are aware of the incident that took place at our store in Forrest City, AR this morning. We will continue to work with the Forrest City Police Department to assist in their investigation."