OSCEOLA, Ark. — Prosecutors say three Arkansas law enforcement officers were justified in using deadly force in the fatal shooting of an armed man who fatally wounded a police dog.
Authorities say 35-year-old James Blackmon was shot on July 30 in eastern Arkansas after officers used a tire-puncturing device to stop a vehicle driven by Blackmon that was fleeing at high speeds. Blackmon ran and opened fire on authorities, fatally wounding a state police dog that made contact with him.
Officials say officers found Blackmon lying in a soybean field and opened fire when Blackmon pointed a pistol at them. Prosecutor Scott Ellington said Saturday that the officers acted in defense of their own lives.
Television station KATV reports that authorities reportedly found pills and two baggies of suspected marijuana in Blackmon’s vehicle.
