The suspect from the officer involved shooting on Friday, Oct. 7 has died due to injuries sustained from the incident.
At approximately 10:25 p.m. Friday, an officer with the Benton Police Department responded to the 1400 Block of Longview Drive on report of unknown trouble with a male, later identified as 49-year-old Thomas Jeffrey Burns of Benton, screaming in the area. The officer spoke with a Burns and female in the area who were arguing, but they separated without further incident. The officer then remained in the area to provide extra patrol.
At approximately 10:57 PM, the officer again encountered Burns who was holding a gun. The officer ordered Burns to drop the gun, but Burns refused to follow the officer’s commands. Burns then reportedly raised the gun toward the officer, which resulted in shots being fired by the officer. The suspect was injured and subsequently transported by a medical helicopter to a hospital in Little Rock.
A handgun that was in the suspect’s possession during the incident was located at the scene. Per departmental policy, the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. This is an on-going investigation and additional details will be made available as it progresses.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burns family during this difficult time,” said Chief Kirk Lane.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us an anonymous crime tip about this incident to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on ITunes and Google Play.
Any suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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