At approximately 2:42 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, officers with the Benton Police Department responded to Simmons Bank, located at 1323 Military Road, on a report of a possible robbery by a white male suspect. Upon arrival officers determined that an off-duty Benton police officer intervened in the attempted armed robbery of the bank.
During the course of the altercation with the off-duty officer, the suspect, who was brandishing a handgun, was shot and later transported to a local hospital. The suspect later succumbed to injuries. The identification of the suspect is not being released at this time pending notification of the next of kin.
The officer and other individuals inside the bank were unharmed during the incident. The identification of the officer involved in the incident is not being released at this time due to the pending investigation. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave per departmental policy.
The Benton Police Department is the lead agency for the on-going investigation, with assistance from the FBI. Additional details will be made available as the investigation progresses.
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.