Police justified in shooting, prosecutor says

Injured woman was pointing gun

SPRINGDALE — A police officer who shot a woman holding a gun May 28 was justified in using deadly force, Washington County Prosecutor Attorney Matt Durrett said Monday.

Officer Miguel Hernandez has been cleared for duty by the Springdale department, said Lt. Jeff Taylor, department spokesman. Hernandez was placed on paid administrative leave while the Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting.

The woman who was shot, Sina Doctor, was released Monday afternoon from Northwest Medical

Center-Springdale, according to Beth Wright, a hospital spokesperson.

Hernandez was responding to a 911 call at 317 Laura St. about a woman with a shotgun. Doctor pointed a long gun at Hernandez, who then fired his weapon, according to the investigation. Doctor was hit twice, according to a news release from Durrett’s office.

A video from the dashboard camera of Hernandez’s patrol car shows Doctor walking into the front yard and pointing a gun at Hernandez as he walked toward her. Hernandez fired multiple shots.

The next two officers to arrive rendered aid to Doctor, the video shows.

The video released Monday includes a recording of the 911 call. The male caller implored the police to arrive “before she kills somebody.”

Charges against Doctor are uncertain as the investigation

continues, said Durrett and Kelly Cantrell, a spokeswoman with the Sheriff’s Office.

Police found it hard to get a statement about the event from Doctor, Durrett said, adding her comments were nonsensical.

Springdale police officers wear body cameras, but Hernandez’s was in “sleep mode” during the incident, Taylor said. He said the body cameras are designed to turn on when an officer turns on lights and sirens. When Hernandez got the call, he was just two blocks away on Huntsville Avenue and didn’t turn on his emergency signals, Taylor said.

“In a perfect world, yes, we would like them to have their body camera turned on all the time,” he said. “I didn’t interview him, and I don’t know what was going through his mind right then.”

Durrett said Doctor posed a threat to Hernandez and others. The use of deadly physical force was the only alternative, he said.