Burglary suspect fatally shot by officers

Police say he was attempting to steal a vehicle at a Jacksonville dealership

Officers fatally shot a suspect in a burglary at a car dealership in Jacksonville after he drove toward them in a vehicle late Thursday night, authorities said.

The Jacksonville Police Department said officers were called shortly before midnight to investigate a possible break-in at Crain Ford at 1800 School Drive.

The agency said in a statement that a male inside was “attempting to steal a vehicle” when he drove it toward the exit and “accelerated toward officers.”

Officers opened fire, hitting the driver at least once. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

Authorities haven’t released the identity of the suspect or the names of the officers who fired at the person.

A Jacksonville police spokesman said the department has been reviewing the shooting but had no new information Friday afternoon. He cited an ongoing investigation.

Local law enforcement agencies can ask the Arkansas State Police to review shootings and conduct investigations into officers’ use of force. Typically, those findings are forwarded to prosecutors to determine if officers followed state law.

Law enforcement agencies aren’t required by state law to call for an outside review,

said state police spokesman Bill Sadler.

Sadler said state police typically make a swift decision on whether they’ll take on a case, but they can also decline to do so.

“If evidence is moved [and] witnesses interviewed, it becomes somewhat of a challenge to go back and recreate where evidence was placed,” he said.

The practice of local police departments self-investigating after an officer shoots

someone has drawn recent concern in central Arkansas.

Following the fatal police shooting of 30-year-old Bradley Blackshire in Little Rock during a February traffic stop, activists called for another agency to review the shooting.

Little Rock internally investigated the shooting by ex-Little Rock officer Charles Starks and forwarded the findings to the Pulaski County prosecutor. The prosecutor declined to press criminal charges against Starks.

Jacksonville police haven’t asked the state to review Thursday’s shooting.