29-year-old officer identified as shooter of Little Rock woman, 20

Officers investigate after a police shooting early Friday in Little Rock.
Officers investigate after a police shooting early Friday in Little Rock.

Police on Tuesday identified the Little Rock officer who shot and wounded a 20-year-old woman at an apartment complex early Friday.

A Little Rock police news release stated officer Quintin Falls, 29, wounded Lexi Shockey at the Tanglewood Apartments, 7575 Cantrell Road. Shockey, who police say swung a knife at Falls during the confrontation, was arrested Friday on one count of aggravated assault.

A police report said Shockey's 23-year-old girlfriend called 911 a few minutes after midnight Thursday because Shockey was acting suicidal. Officers were told Shockey had cut herself and had a BB gun and a knife, according to the release.

Police said they arrived and saw two women, one armed with a knife and what appeared to be a handgun, on the second-floor balcony of the apartment building.

Authorities went up to the apartment and spoke with Shockey through the closed door for several minutes before she opened the door, the release says. She then gave them the knife and an airsoft-type pistol, authorities said.

Falls tried to calm Shockey down and continued to talk with her, according to the release, but she "became agitated again and grabbed a second knife from a table inside the apartment."

The officer tried to get her to put down the knife and continued to talk with her, the department said.

Falls grabbed her arm and tried to disarm her, but she "was able to pull away from Officer Falls and then swung the knife at him," according to the release. It said Falls pushed away from her, drew his weapon and fired once at her.

Another officer, 27-year-old Jordan White, fired his Taser when he saw that Shockey had pulled away and swung the knife at Falls, the release says.

"This occurred at approximately the same time that Officers Falls fired at her," according to the department statement.

Because of her clothing, police said, it was unclear if the Taser had any effect on Shockey.

Shockey was treated at an area hospital before being taken to the UAMS Medical Center for a mental evaluation, the department said.

Both Shockey and her girlfriend had a listed residence of 7575 Cantrell Road, according to a police report.

An online roster shows Shockey was booked into the Pulaski County jail around 5:40 p.m. on Friday. She remained at the lockup as of Tuesday night, the records show.

Falls, who was hired as a Little Rock officer in June 2015, has been placed on administrative leave in accordance with department policy, the department said.

Unlike in past officer shootings, Little Rock police declined to release a photograph of the officers who used deadly force.

Department spokesman Lt. Michael Ford said Tuesday that the agency would no longer release pictures of officers involved in shootings because of an Arkansas attorney general opinion.

Ford said the 2014 opinion issued by then-Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said the department did not have to release the pictures. According to Ford, officers had problems with the pictures being released to the public, and the topic was reviewed with the city attorney.

When asked if withholding the officers' pictures raises transparency concerns, Ford said the agency has released the important information on Falls, such as his name, race and date of hire.

"We are being transparent," he said.

Metro on 04/18/2018

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