Sheriff’s Office: Deputies shoot man in home

Washington County authorities respond to domestic disturbance

SPRINGDALE — Washington County deputies shot a man to death who pointed a shotgun at them in his home Sunday night, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

Terry Don King, 50, died in the incident.

A man called the Sheriff’s Office and said his mother and stepfather were fighting in an upstairs bedroom. The caller said King pointed a shotgun at him and pushed him out of the room when he tried to intervene.

Deputies went to the house at 19496 Neills Bluff Road about 9:45 p.m. When they arrived, the caller and two other people safely left the house.

Deputies found King in the bedroom. A woman ran out of the room and down the stairs. King pointed a gun at the deputies, who then fired their weapons at King, according to the release. King died at the house. Arkansas State Police are investigating the shooting. Three deputies have been placed on administrative leave, following usual department procedure, according to the release.

King’s body will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy.

King served a sentence in prison from Dec. 9, 2002, until Aug. 26, 2009, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. He was convicted of aggravated robbery in

Franklin County.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has had several officer involved shootings in the past five years, according to the Sheriff’s Office and newspaper reports.

In December 2016, Cpl. Brad Robinson was at the Tire Tracks on South School Avenue in Fayetteville having a tire put on his vehicle when Benjamin Ortiz, 25, of Las Vegas, drew a knife from his backpack and approached Robinson. Ortiz refused several commands to put down the knife and lunged at Robinson, who shot him twice. A note found in Ortiz’s backpack indicated he planned to kill himself.

In July 2016, deputies shot and killed Randolph Blecher, 50, of Farmington. Blecher set his house on fire and fired a weapon at police officers during a standoff at his residence. Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett found the deputies’ actions were justified after an investigation by the Arkansas State Police.

Lt. Tion Augustine was shot in the hip in March 2016 when he and other deputies responded to a report of a Fayetteville man who was threatening to kill himself. Raymond Lee Plumlee, 27, of Springdale, was acquitted of three counts of attempted capital murder by reason of mental disease or defect.

Cpl. Taylor Reed was shot in the arm in August 2014 while responding to a report of a domestic disturbance near Elkins.

Bill Sadler, spokesman for the State Police, said no official record exists that details officer-involved shooting.

Sadler said the State Police are not asked to investigate all such incidents and in those the agency does investigate the cases are filed by names and dates, not the nature of the incident. Sadler said he has heard the federal Justice Department is considering developing a nationwide report on officer-involved shootings, but hasn’t determined how to proceed.