Officers cleared in July shooting

Drug suspect wounded in Fayetteville standoff with police

FAYETTEVILLE — The two officers who shot and wounded Skylar Houston on July 23 after a six-hour standoff, in which Houston threatened to shoot himself, have been cleared of any wrongdoing and will return to duty Monday.

Fayetteville Police Chief Mike Reynolds said the department’s internal review of the shooting and the criminal investigation by the Washington County sheriff’s office exonerated officers Jon Haydon and Chase Harris in their uses of deadly force.

Haydon and Harris were placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, Reynolds said, in keeping with department policy. Both officers have been with the department for more than two years.

Reynolds said since the internal review resulted in no disciplinary actions and the report will not be made public. He praised the way his officers handled the situation.

“I’m proud that our officers responded to the situation in the way they did,” Reynolds said. “They tried to defuse the situation for hours but Houston refused to comply. During that time, we had hundreds of people who had gathered in the area. It was a very unique situation. You’re not only worried about your officers, you’re worried about the hundreds of people out there and what could happen to them if Houston had fired his weapon at our officers.”

The shooting took place in the Cleo’s Furniture parking lot at 636 E. Joyce Blvd. after officers tried for more than six hours to persuade Houston to surrender.

Detectives tried to arrest Houston, a former police officer, in connection with a drug investigation and contacted him in the McDonald’s parking lot at 587 E. Joyce Blvd., Reynolds said.

When detectives approached Houston, they saw him through the rear window of his vehicle put a gun to his head. The detectives called for assistance, and patrol officers and members of the department’s Crisis Negotiations Team and Emergency Response Team were sent to the location, Reynolds said.

With Houston still refusing to leave his vehicle after six hours of negotiations, police used a chemical irritant to force him out of the vehicle.

Houston was still holding a gun to his head when he got out of the vehicle and refused to comply with orders to put the gun down, police said. The Emergency Response Team fired several rounds from a pepper ball gun at Houston, who ran east into another parking lot and tried to enter Cleo’s Furniture, according to Reynolds.

Officers continued to order Houston to drop his weapon, and when he refused, two patrol officers fired their weapons.

Police said Houston fell to the ground but immediately got up, leaving his gun on the ground. Houston ran toward some other officers and a stun gun was used to stop him.

Houston, 29, of Huntsville, was taken to a local hospital for treatment and later booked into the Washington County jail in connection with committing a terroristic act, criminal conspiracy, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine or cocaine with purpose to deliver, possession of drugs with intent to deliver, drug trafficking, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, distribution of controlled substance near certain facilities, carrying certain prohibited weapons, criminal mischief and theft by receiving.

He’s also being held for federal court on unspecified charges. Houston is being held in lieu of $2 million bond.