Three Arkansas law enforcement officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the January shooting of a 40-year-old man, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Gravette police officers Christopher Kelly and Scott Gillming and Benton County sheriff's deputy Jarod Morgan were justified in shooting Eulas Linwood Hughes, Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith reportedly concluded Tuesday.
"Despite facing an armed and threatening suspect, the officers made numerous attempts to negotiate and de-escalate the situation," Smith wrote in a decision cited by the newspaper. "Rather than firing immediately when the suspect pointed a gun at them, as the law permits then to do, the officers put their own lives at risk by continuing to negotiate with an armed suspect in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully."
The officers responded about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 20 to a suicidal subject call on Second Avenue, then found Hughes at his home pointing a rifle at them while carrying another gun, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
According to Smith's decision, Hughes refused to drop his weapons and made threats to the officers. He was shot three times, the newspaper reported.
As of Tuesday afternoon, he was being held at the Benton County jail in lieu of $150,000 bond, records show. He faces seven counts of aggravated assault, four counts of terroristic threatening and two counts of carrying a weapon.