FORT SMITH -- Two men were shot in their legs Wednesday after a Sebastian County homeowner discovered them breaking into a vehicle on his property and fired several shots at them, according to authorities.
A news release Wednesday from the Sebastian County sheriff's office said one man was being treated for gunshot wounds at Mercy Hospital and the other at Sparks Regional Medical Center. No arrests were made Wednesday. Their names were not released.
The release said the sheriff's office received a call about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday from a homeowner in the 1200 block of Tennessee Circle, saying that someone had broken into his vehicle. The homeowner reported seeing people around and inside the vehicle.
The people around the vehicle ran and jumped into a vehicle parked on the road, and the homeowner fired one shot, the release said. The vehicle turned around and headed toward the homeowner, and someone from inside the vehicle shot at him, according to the release.
The homeowner fired several more shots at the vehicle as it drove away, according to the release.
About 6 a.m. Wednesday, the sheriff's office received a call from Mercy Hospital that a man was in the emergency room with a gunshot wound in his leg, according to the release. It was reported that the man was picked up along a roadway at Chaffee Crossing east of Fort Smith and Barling, and was dropped off at Mercy Hospital.
Deputies went to the Chaffee Crossing area and found an abandoned car that had bullet holes in it. Near the vehicle, deputies also found what they believed to be stolen property that included electronic devices, guns and tools, the release said.
Investigators developed a second suspect stemming from the original call, according to the release. Deputies located the man at a residence in Fort Smith who also had a gunshot wound in his leg. He was taken to Sparks Regional for treatment.
The sheriff's office said it had obtained a search warrant for the abandoned vehicle. The investigation is continuing.
NW News on 11/26/2016