Authorities: Sheriff in Arkansas shoots at driver; deputy hurt

The Fulton County sheriff shot at a vehicle Friday morning, and the fleeing driver struck and injured a deputy, according to the Arkansas State Police.

A news release from the state police said Sheriff Al Roark and the deputy, who was not identified, were trying to make contact with an unnamed man at a residence on Asher Road outside Salem about 9:30 a.m.

As Roark and the deputy arrived, the release said, the man they were attempting to contact jumped into a vehicle and started to drive away. The vehicle struck Roark's vehicle.

"At that point, the sheriff fired his weapon in an attempt to stop the individual," the release said.

The driver struck the deputy with his vehicle and drove away. The deputy suffered minor injuries, the release said.

The release didn't say whether the driver of the vehicle was injured in the shooting, whether Roark was injured, or if anyone had been arrested.

The Fulton County sheriff's office would not comment and referred questions to the state police, which was asked to handle the shooting investigation.

A search of the area began after the shooting. Baxter County sheriff's Capt. Jeff Lewis said Baxter County's search-and-rescue helicopter participated in the search.

Lewis said the helicopter was searching the Thayer, Mo., area Friday afternoon. He said he was told the suspect is from Thayer, which is just across the state line in Oregon County, Mo.

The Oregon County sheriff's office also was participating in the search Friday, according to a dispatcher.

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State Desk on 08/12/2018

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