A Little Rock police officer was “relieved of duty” last month after pointing a BB gun at a man while on duty, the department said.
According to a police report, officer Evan Howell, 26, was responding to a call about a man with a BB gun harassing employees in a T-Mobile store June 16 when Howell aimed the BB gun at the suspect.
Officers said the suspect misunderstood the seriousness of his carrying a BB gun in the T-Mobile store and that Howell grabbed the weapon, pointed it toward the suspect and said, “Hey, can you tell the difference right now?”
The other police officers then escorted Howell from the building. The suspect told officers that he “was not certain if Mr. Howell had his BB gun or not” and that he “just saw Mr. Howell charging at him with a gun pointed at him,” police said.
Little Rock police spokesman Lt. Michael Ford said Howell was almost immediately suspended with pay pending an internal investigation. The suspension means Howell’s gun and badge were taken, and he cannot work in any capacity with the Police Department for the duration of the suspension.