BENTON -- Benton police are investigating their second fatal police shooting in a two-week span after an officer shot and killed a 17-year-old on Monday, authorities said.
According to Benton Police Capt. Kevin Russell, the teen pointed a gun at officers who had responded to a family disturbance and was shot. Russell declined to identify the teen or the officer who shot him.
Police had been dispatched at 11:44 a.m. to the 1200 block of River Oaks Drive, said Russell, patrol division commander, at a press conference Monday evening. When police arrived, the teenager had already fled into nearby woods with the handgun, and multiple officers decided to search the area to conduct a welfare check on the teenager, Russell said.
Officers found the teenager in the wooded area, he said. When they gave him commands to drop the weapon, he did not comply and pointed the gun at an officer, Russell said.
The officer fired, hitting the teen, who was pronounced dead at the scene, he said. Police did not say how many shots were fired or how many times the teen was hit.
A shots-fired call was reported to the department at 12:27 p.m. and the handgun was found on the scene and taken into evidence, Russell said.
He did not say how many officers were present when the shooting happened.
"It's something that we, as officers, pray doesn't happen," Russell said. "And unfortunately, it did."
Russell said the officer was put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The department's Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the fatal shooting.
Russell said the department is not considering requesting the Arkansas State Police to assist in the investigation.
Russell declined to comment further on what led to the family disturbance.
Benton police are equipped with body microphones, but Russell said he was not sure if audio of the encounter is available.
Meanwhile, the department has forwarded to the Saline County prosecutor its investigation of an Oct. 7 fatal shooting of a Benton man by an officer.
Police were called to the 1400 block of Longview Drive at around 10:25 p.m. for a report of "unknown trouble," according to a release from the department.
An officer broke up an argument between Thomas J̶e̶f̶f̶r̶e̶y̶ Jeffery* Burns, 49, of Benton and an unidentified woman, the release said.
A little over 30 minutes later, the officer again encountered Burns, who then "threatened the officer with a handgun," the release said. The officer fired his gun, hitting Burns, who was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Little Rock.
He died from his injures three days later on Oct. 10, said department spokesman Matt Burks, who said Monday that he has no additional information on the shooting.
Police have not identified the officer involved in the Oct. 7 shooting, but Burks said the officer is still on administrative leave.
Metro on 10/18/2016
*CORRECTION: Thomas Jeffery Burns was fatally shot Oct. 7 by a Benton police officer. Because of incorrect information from the Benton Police Department, his middle name was incorrect in this article.