FORT SMITH -- For Robin Gaines, the day that earned him statewide acclaim was one he was "just working."
Gaines, a Fort Smith Police Department patrol officer, was one of three people named Law Enforcement Officers of the Year in the state for 2022 by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Dec. 13.
He also was selected as officer of the year for Sebastian County and the northwest region, according to Aric Mitchell, police spokesman.
Gaines, 38, received these honors for helping end a fatal domestic violence dispute in Fort Smith in 2021. He was seriously injured during the encounter and forced to defend himself after being stabbed in the neck with a large knife, which required emergency surgery, according to a news release from Rutledge's office.
A Greenwood resident with three children and a wife, Brittany, Gaines said he returned to full duty in late August following months of recovery.
Gaines said while it's an honor to receive any kind of recognition, he believes being rewarded for going to work is slightly odd. More meaningful recognition came from the compliments he got from his friends, co-workers and other law enforcement officers.
"I don't think that I necessarily did anything special that day," Gaines said. "I just came to work and did what I asked to be here to do."
Police Chief Danny Baker said in an emailed statement Gaines acted with heroism and bravery.
"His exemplary actions truly displayed the guardian mindset all members of the Fort Smith Police Department strive to have," Baker said.
Gaines was the first officer on scene in response to a disturbance call involving a domestic assault at 2819 Tilles Ave. the morning of Oct. 17, 2021, according to Sebastian County Prosecutor Dan Shue in a Jan. 31 letter to Arkansas State Police. Gaines arrived at Tilles and Lecta avenues and found Christofer Conner, 40, of Fort Smith hitting a 15-year-old boy on the head with a brick.
Gaines drew his gun and told Conner to drop the brick, and Conner obliged, according to Shue. Gaines ordered Conner to the ground after Conner began walking toward Grand Avenue, and, although he thought Conner was complying with the order, Conner moved quickly toward him.
Gaines said he didn't see Conner's knife. He initially thought Conner had just hit him and recalled feeling a vibrating sensation in his shoulder before realizing he had been stabbed; he then shot Conner, who immediately fell to the ground.
Gaines said he started making his way to the boy after relaying to his fellow officers what was happening and kicking the knife away from Conner. However, he had lost so much blood that he was struggling to walk.
"I kind of stumbled around a little bit, looked at my Tahoe and thought, I need to drive myself to the hospital, I'm not going to make it until EMS gets here," Gaines said.
"I took a few steps to the Tahoe. That's when I had to take a knee in the street because the lights were going out, per se. I couldn't really function much anymore at that point, and then everything from there is kind of hit-and-miss as far as memory."
Conner's autopsy shows he died of two gunshot wounds and tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamines and cannabinoids, according to Shue. Other officers who arrived at the scene found Conner's ex-girlfriend, Julia Marie Moore, 42, slain in the home at 2819 Tilles Ave. A 5-year-old boy was sleeping in a bedroom.
The 15-year-old was later identified as Conner's and Moore's son, Cason Conner. Baker said during a news conference Oct. 17 that Cason had been stabbed multiple times and suffered blunt force trauma. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Moore was discovered dead from apparent stab wounds.
Baker said he requested state police lead the investigation into the incident because it involved an officer killing a man. Gaines, who was taken to a hospital for treatment, would be placed on paid administrative leave for at least three days, while another, unidentified officer, who was not involved in the shooting, was placed on leave pending post-critical incident treatment, Baker said.
Shue's office concluded Gaines was justified in shooting Conner under state law.
Gaines returned to the Police Department for light duty on Jan. 4 , according to Mitchell. He did what he could to help in the department's criminal investigation division and training center. Such work kept him busy and gave him hope that staying home couldn't, he said.
Gaines said his road to recovery was marked by multiple surgeries on his neck and shoulder, along with physical therapy. His medical team consisted of doctors in a variety of fields between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock and Baptist Health in Fort Smith.
While Gaines admits his injury still causes him some pain, he considers his rehabilitation successful. He's been continuing recovery through at-home programs.
"I mean, I got back to work when I was told initially that I wouldn't be able to come back to work," he said.
Gaines believes he had the "easiest part of the job" on that day of the Conner incident compared to other officers who remained at the scene to deal with the aftermath. He listens to the police radio traffic from that morning from time to time.
"It keeps me in the moment, keeps it fresh," Gaines said. "I feel like that is something I owe to the victims. The family's never going to forget. This was something terrible that happened to them, and I don't want myself to drift away from it either."
Gaines worked for the Fort Smith Fire Department before joining the city's Police Department in March 2019, he said. He plans to serve in the Police Department for as long as possible.
"I haven't been a cop that long," Gaines said. "There are still plenty of things that I want to do. Nothing changes for me. It was a very tragic and terrible circumstance that set me back for a little while and that I'm going to live with forever, but it changes nothing for my future."
The Police Department is proud of Gaines' ongoing commitment to both it and Fort Smith residents, Baker said.
"It takes a very special person to be a good police officer and knowing that people like Robin Gaines are protecting our community gives me great peace of mind," Baker said.
"I have no doubt that his actions that day prevented the further loss of human life. I'm especially thankful for the young child that was rescued because of his actions, and I just hope that folks will reflect on how quickly these things can go bad for a police officer and how very important it is for us to make sure they are well-trained and have the appropriate mental and physical support to be effective in their duties."
Robin Gaines, a patrol officer with the Fort Smith Police Department, participates in an interview, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, at FSPD headquarters in downtown Fort Smith. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge recently announced Gaines, who returned to duty in 2022 after being critically wounded while responding to a disturbance with weapons call in 2021, as one of the state’s three Law Enforcement Officers of the Year for 2022. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Robin Gaines, a patrol officer with the Fort Smith Police Department, poses next to his patrol car, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, at FSPD headquarters in downtown Fort Smith. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge recently announced Gaines, who returned to duty in 2022 after being critically wounded while responding to a disturbance with weapons call in 2021, as one of the state’s three Law Enforcement Officers of the Year for 2022. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Robin Gaines, a patrol officer with the Fort Smith Police Department, poses, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, at FSPD headquarters in downtown Fort Smith. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge recently announced Gaines, who returned to duty in 2022 after being critically wounded while responding to a disturbance with weapons call in 2021, as one of the state’s three Law Enforcement Officers of the Year for 2022. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)Other Officers of the Year
Robin Gaines was one of three Arkansas law enforcement officers of the year for 2022.
The other two were Stephen Parrott and James Moore of the Hot Springs Police Department. They were recognized for stopping a shooting outside the Hot Springs Convention Center following a high school graduation ceremony May 12.
Source: Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s Office