A prosecutor has released the identify of a northeast Arkansas police officer who shot a teenager while attempting to arrest him last week.
Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington’s office said Thursday that officer Jennifer Ephlin of the Osceola Police Department was responsible for shooting the 16-year-old boy after an attempted robbery.
Police say the teenager tried to get into a vehicle parked in the lot of a Shell convenience store at 4610 W. Keiser Ave. around 1:40 a.m. Friday in Osceola.
While Ephlin tried to remove the boy from the vehicle that was not his, the officer’s gun discharged and struck the teen, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.
The 16-year-old was taken to a Memphis hospital and released later in the day Friday, according to the newspaper.
An attempt to reach Osceola Police Chief David Gladden for comment was not immediately successful Thursday morning.
