PB teen police shot not suspect

Warrant’s target has surrendered

Arkansas State Police said a Pine Bluff police officer shot a teenage boy while attempting to serve an arrest warrant Wednesday, not a man who’d been wanted in Cleveland County, as the department believed.

A state police investigation of the shooting continued Thursday as the agency worked to identify the injured teen, who appeared to be about 16, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

Pine Bluff police initially reported that an officer had shot and critically injured Deontae Garrett, 19, while serving an arrest warrant about 2:30 p.m. at 5701 Womack St. But according to state police, Garrett surrendered to the department later that day. That’s when efforts began to identify the shooting victim.

“We’re meeting with other witnesses who were present at the home, and interviewing them and talking to the mother of the individual who surrendered to police last night,” Sadler said. “We now believe we know the name, but agents are attempting to confirm it. There’s also the issue of his age. That raises the question of whether we’ll be able to release his name.”

The boy, who was in stable condition at Jefferson County Regional Medical Center, is accused of pointing a gun at the Pine Bluff police officer after refusing commands to drop the weapon. Police had not identified the officer Thursday.

Department spokesmen Lt. David Price and officer Richard Wegner had not returned calls seeking comment.

The shooting is the sec-

ond in the past six weeks involving Pine Bluff police.

Markevius White, 22, was shot by police outside Pines Mall at 2901 Pines Mall Drive on Feb. 13. White, who had an active arrest warrant, reportedly fled police and struck an officer with a vehicle before police opened fire.

State police are investigating that shooting as well.

Wegner, speaking to the Democrat-Gazette after White

was shot, said officers are placed on paid administrative leave after deadly force incidents, in accordance with department policy. Wegner said the department does not identify officers involved in shootings until related investigations are completed.

“It’s the way we’ve always done it,” he said.

No charges had been filed in the latest shooting.

“That investigation is still focused on the incident itself, if a person came out of the house holding a gun and subsequently pointed that at

a police officer — regardless of whether it was Deontae Garrett,” Sadler said.

Sadler said two women were in the home when the shooting occurred, and “there is now a secondary question of whether Deontae was still in the house when the shooting occurred.”

An investigation is ongoing. Findings will be submitted to Jefferson County prosecutor Kyle Hunter for review.

Garrett was being held in the Cleveland County jail on charges of kidnapping, residential burglary and theft.