Shot in the line of duty

TRI-LAKES AREA — March 12, 2008, is a date Cpl. Scott Clark of Gurdon will never forget.

The culmination of the day's events, which included Clark, 40, being shot in the arm, led to him being named 2008 Trooper of the Year by the Arkansas State Police.

"It's been the most humbling and overwhelming experience of my life," Clark said.

"I don't really know how to describe it. Just knowing that the department and our guys go out and do this every day, and I represent the department, is humbling. I represent a year's worth of hard work for those people." Clark was nominated for Trooper of the Year after receiving the Medal of Valor for the events that happened on March 12.

MARCH 12, 2008

As a member of the criminal investigations division, which has its headquarters in Hope, it is Clark's job to investigate everything from property crime to violent crimes. On this date, investigators were assigned to look into a homicide that occurred a few weeks prior, south of Hope.

"Once we were at the crime scene, it was interesting that all the information was similar to an earlier scene we had worked in January," Clark said. "Later in the day, my sergeant had gathered information that a suspect could be located at a residence in south Hempstead County, right on the Lafayette County line.

Sgt. John Bishop and Hempstead County Deputy Sheriff Frank McJunkins went with me to the location. Once we pulled in the driveway I immediately recognized the redFord Thunderbird parked there." Clark said once he saw the car, he quit thinking of officer safety and "went into detective mode." "It's one of the traps in this line of work;

you get complacent and focus on solving the case," Clark said.

Clark and the other officers knocked on the trailer door and asked the woman who answered if she had seen the suspect, Fred Moore. She said she hadn't, and Clark asked if they could check the trailer, "hoping to find evidence of Moore," he said.

"When we entered, the first thing I noticed was there was no interior walls," Clark said. "They had all been removed, and sheets of plastic were hanging from the ceiling. Iguess they were for attracting warmth for heat."

As the two officers walked toward the kitchen, underneath the plastic they entered a room with a pool table situated in the center of it. They came to the only wall in the trailer that led to a bedroom.

"It was behind us and the door was shut," Clark said. "We tried to reach forward and push the door open, but it wouldn't open. Frank tried to use his foot to open the door and when he did, just inside I see what is the right side of a person - in the right hand is a gun."

Clark said the man in the bedroom told both officers to get out, while both officers simultaneously yelled, 'Gun,' and ducked for cover.

"We were looking for cover, but there was just opaque sheets of plastic," Clark said. "We both got under and behind the pool table. At this point, we still don't see the person and he is still yelling. Without speaking we decide that we know someone is here; he's not leaving; let's get out.

"So Frank goes to pass under the plastic, and I'm behind him with my gun pointed toward the voice. This is all happening simultaneously. I'm walking backwards, and I trip and fall over a bag of trash in the kitchen. At that point, the person yells, 'I'm going to count to three then start shooting.' I was on the ground, and he went one, two, three and pow. I never saw him; I saw the muzzle flash through the plastic, and I could feel the pain in the back of my arm. I knew I had been shot."

As Clark lay on the kitchen floor, bleeding, his first reaction was to pull the trigger, sohe did.

"I fired around four rounds," Clark said. "Frank was beside me, and Sgt. Bishop came back in and was kneeling beside me, aiming towards where the shots were fired.

"I stood up to leave and reload and the world just started closing down around me. It was the worst tunnel vision I've ever had, I couldn't see anything except what was directly ahead of me. Looking back, it's still fuzzy. So I go to my car to get a bigger gun. I wanted my shotgun, but I reached for my .45 -caliber Glock pistol and jogged back to the house. I kneeled down behind Sgt. Bishop waiting for an order,and he asked me how bad I was hurt. I told him I didn't know, but I could feel blood on the back of my arm.

"In retrospect, I've been hurt worse in my life, but never by someone trying to kill me," he said.

Sgt. Bishop told Clark to get out of the house, and Mc-Junkins took him out to the car and another officer took Clark to the hospital.

After the gun fight, Clark learned that Moore was shot and died of his wounds at the crime scene. He said it was determined through investigation that Moore had been responsible for the two homicides.

THINKING BACK Clark said he realized "it just wasn't my time."

"I was very blessed to be on this side of it," Clark said. "It was the first time I ever fired my weapon in the line of duty, and obviously the first time I had ever been shot. It's something that takes time; I just don't want to make too much of it. There are guys in combat in Afghanistan and my thing doesn't compare to that.

"After the first few days and weeks, I had a tendency to concentrate on what could've happened. I have two boys, and at the time they were 5 and 12. Iimmediately thought of them. It put things in perspective. I had to concentrate on what didn't happen instead of what could have happened. With support from my family and friends, I got through it."

At the time of the incident, Clark also had a girlfriend. They got married a few days after he was shot.

COMMENDATION

Within weeks of the incident, Clark, Bishop and Mc-Junkins received official commendations from the department. The three men were informed in September 2008 that they were nominated for the Medal of Valor. Clark also received the Attorney General's Officer of the Year, representing the fourth district.

"Cpl. Clark exhibited rare and distinguished courage," said Criminal Investigation Div ision Commander Maj. Cleve Barfield. "Despite being wounded by the suspect, Cpl. Clark took cover, rearmed and was prepared to re-engage the suspect in an effort to provide suppressive fire to protect his fellow officers still inside the home. Cpl. Clark's dedication to his duties as an Arkansas State Trooper are above the standard." - epannell@ arkansasonline.com