BENTON -- A 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by a Benton police officer Monday was identified by an official at his school Tuesday.
Keagan Schweikle was identified by Harmony Grove High School Principal Chad Withers in a statement released Tuesday. Schweikle attended the school.
Officers went to the teenager's residence on the 1200 block of River Oaks Drive at 11:44 a.m. Monday, responding to a report that he was suicidal and armed with a .40-caliber pistol, according to a police report released Tuesday.
When police arrived, they were told the teen had fled into the woods with the pistol, said Capt. Kevin Russell, patrol division commander, at a press conference Monday.
Officers decided to search the area for the teenager, he said.
When police found Schweikle, officers ordered him to drop the weapon, police said.
Russell said the teen did not comply with the commands and pointed the gun at an officer, who then shot the teenager.
The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Benton police have not confirmed the teenager's identity and have not identified the officer involved in the shooting.
Benton Police Department policy states that officers are authorized to shoot their weapon to "protect the law enforcement officer or others from what is reasonably believed to be an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm."
The policy also states that officers can use deadly force if an officer believes a fleeing felon will pose an "immediate threat to human life should escape occur."
Monday's shooting is being investigated by the department's Criminal Investigation Division.
The department is not considering requesting Arkansas State Police to assist in the investigation, and Russell said he is confident the department can investigate the officer-involved shooting without a conflict of interest.
"Small [departments] may not have all of the available resources to conduct an investigation, but we do," Russell said.
Benton's Police Department has approximately 65 officers, Russell said Monday.
Arkansas State Police does not assist with officer-involved shootings in local jurisdictions unless a prosecuting attorney or the chief law enforcement officer of a county or city request assistance, said Bill Sadler, spokesman for the state police.
City Attorney Brent Houston said the Police Department did not give a timeline on when the officer's identity would be released but said the information would be available once department investigators complete their reports.
According to Houston, there is no body-microphone audio-recording of the shooting.
Meanwhile, counselors at Harmony Grove High School were available to speak with faculty members or students in the wake of Schweikle's death, according to the school's statement.
"At this time we ask that everyone keep his family in their thoughts and prayers, as well as our students, who are grieving the loss of a classmate," Withers said in a statement.
This is the second officer-involved shooting for the Benton police in a two-week span.
A Benton police officer shot 49-year-old Thomas Burns on Oct. 7 after he "threatened the officer with a handgun," according to a release.
Burns died three days later, on Oct. 10, police said. Police officials have not released the identity of the officer involved in the shooting.
A Benton police spokesman said he misspoke Monday when he said that the investigation into Burns' shooting had been forwarded to the Saline County prosecuting attorney's office for review.
Rebecca Bush, chief deputy prosecutor for the county, said Tuesday that the office has not yet received the investigative report
According to Houston, there is body-microphone audiotape of the shooting, but the killing is still under investigation and the recording would not be immediately released.
Metro on 10/19/2016