Little Rock authorities on Monday released the name of a 28-year-old man who was killed after an officer-involved shooting and a vehicle crash early Saturday.
The two officers who were injured in the encounter were identified Monday by the department.
In a written statement from the Little Rock Police Department, authorities said an off-duty officer shot James Hartsfield of Little Rock as he sped toward a brick wall outside the Prospect Building, 1501 N. University Ave.
According to the statement, the off-duty officer was inside the vehicle when she shot Hartsfield. The department said Hartsfield had sped forward -- with the off-duty officer inside -- as police tried to remove him from the vehicle.
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Photos by Mitchell Pe Masilun
Photos by Mitchell Pe Masilun
The department identified officer Brittany Gunn, 28, and officer Nicholas Smith, 32, as the two officers who were injured.
Per department policy, both officers were placed on administrative leave. Gunn, who was hired as a Little Rock officer in June 2012, was in uniform during the encounter and was working off-duty as security for the parking lot. The department hired Smith as an officer in August 2013.
The lead-up to the shooting began about 4:15 a.m. Saturday when a person leaving Local Union, a bar and grill located in the Prospect Building, had requested a "transportation service" to the address and saw a 2004 Mercedes-Benz pull into the parking lot, according to the statement. The person got into the vehicle after the driver indicated that he was with the transportation service, the statement said.
Gunn saw that the driver, later identified as Hartsfield, had appeared to be drinking from a bottle of liquor, authorities said. She stopped the car and ordered him out of the vehicle, according to the statement.
"The driver refused to comply with Officer Gunn's commands and a physical altercation ensued," according to the statement.
The statement said Gunn called for assistance on her police radio. Officer Smith arrived and found Gunn in the passenger side of the car, struggling with the driver, according to the statement.
"Officer Smith went to the driver's side and the two officers attempted to remove the driver who continued to resist," according to the statement.
According to the department, Hartsfield put the car into drive and sped forward, causing Smith to fall to the ground while Gunn remained inside the car -- on the passenger side -- as the vehicle accelerated toward the brick wall.
"Officer Gunn was able to fire multiple times at the driver from her service weapon. The vehicle then went through the retaining wall and landed on University Avenue," according to the department statement.
A police report said Gunn fired her gun at Hartsfield just before the vehicle crashed through the wall and went onto North University Avenue.
Police said Gunn was ejected from the vehicle. Other officers arrived and found Gunn and Hartsfield unresponsive, the statement said.
Hartsfield, who had been shot multiple times, died at the scene, police said. Gunn was taken to a hospital and treated for multiple abrasions and contusions, police said. Gunn was released from the hospital later that day. The statement said Smith had a minor leg injury.
The shooting early Saturday was the sixth involving Little Rock police this year.
Last month, officer Stephen Lichti and Sgt. Zachary Farley shot Lavar Henderson, 22, while investigating a report of domestic battery, police said.
Henderson was reportedly hiding in a dark area when he confronted the lawmen and pointed his cellphone at them as if it were a pistol, according to police.
The Police Department's use-of-force policy states that officers can use deadly force only to "protect themselves or others from what they reasonably believe to be an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury."
Information for this article was contributed by Scott Carroll of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 10/10/2017