HACKETT, Ark. — Two law enforcement officers were shot Wednesday while responding to a call in western Arkansas, authorities said.
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.
No details about the officers’ conditions were immediately released. Sebastian County Judge David Hudson said both officers were taken to a hospital, but he said he had no further details.
The shooting happened Wednesday morning as the officers responded to an unspecified call for service, Pevehouse said. He said the injured officers were a local sheriff’s deputy and a Hackett police officer. Hackett is about 115 miles west of Little Rock.
Pevehouse couldn’t immediately be reached for comment by The Associated Press, and a sheriff’s dispatcher hung on a reporter. Arkansas State Police is providing assistance but referred calls to local authorities.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he didn’t have details about the shooting but said it underscored the danger that the state’s law enforcement officers face.
“It’s a risky business and it really illustrates the importance of our support for law enforcement,” Hutchinson told reporters at an event in North Little Rock.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, whose district includes part of Sebastian County, also didn’t have details about the incident but echoed the governor’s support for police statewide.
“This has to stop,” Westerman said. “It’s a shame the price that law enforcement officers are paying right now and, again, I don’t know any details about what’s happening here, but my heart and prayer is with them and their families.”
