Two West Memphis, Ark. Police Officers Killed In Shootout,Two Suspects Shot Dead…Memorial Fund For Slain Officers In The Works.
This has been one of the deadliest days in the history of the West Memphis Police department, as two of their officers have fallen, and two other officers have been wounded during a wild shootout at a Wal-Mart in an attempt to apprehend a couple of crime suspects.
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The Police Benevolent Foundation is in the process of setting up a memorial fund for the families of Sergeant Brandon Paudert and Officer Bill Evans who were both tragically killed Thursday in the line of duty after a routine traffic stop along an interstate highway.(SOURCE)
The slain officers were “running drug interdiction” on Interstate 40 in east Arkansas when they pulled over a white van with Ohio license plates. The two men got out of the van and opened fire on the officers with AK-47s.
[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=west+memphis&iid=8866778″ src=”5/4/e/e/Memphis_Tennessee_News_81e9.jpg?adImageId=12932728&imageId=8866778″ width=”234″ height=”156″ /]Investigators say around 11:36 a.m., Officer Evans initiated a traffic stop at mile marker 275 on I-40 eastbound. The suspect’s car exited near College Ave. Shortly after the car stopped, police say Sgt. Brandon Paudert arrived on the scene to assist Officer Evans. Moments later, Officer Evans was pushed to the ground by one of the suspects, and gunfire was directed at both officers, leaving one man dead and the other fatally wounded.. The suspects fled the scene in a white minivan and were spotted later in the Wal-Mart parking lot in West Memphis.(SOURCE)
CNN picks up the story from there…About 90 minutes later, a minivan believed to be the one that had been seen leaving the shooting site was spotted in a parking lot of a nearby Wal-Mart, said Bill Sadler, public information officer for the Arkansas State Police.
There, it was approached by Crittenden County Sheriff Dick Busby and Chief Enforcement Officer W.A. Wren, who were traveling in the same vehicle, he said.
Both men were wounded in a gun battle initiated by the suspects, who were using a long rifle and a handgun, Sadler said.
The gun battle ended after “a very brave, young wildlife officer in his state truck rammed the suspect vehicle, preventing an exit of the suspects,” who were killed, Sadler said.
Both wounded officers were taken to Regional Medical Center at Memphis, where they were in critical condition, said hospital spokeswoman Vivian Crawford…[picapp align=”right” wrap=”true” link=”term=west+memphis&iid=8868143″ src=”3/7/c/c/Memphis_Tennessee_News_0754.jpg?adImageId=12932707&imageId=8868143″ width=”234″ height=”145″ /]
The dead officers are Brandon Paudert, 39, son of West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert, and Bill Evans,38,, the chief’s nephew. Both of the slain officers were on the drug trafficking detail, which is one of the most dangerous assignments on the force.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said the killings were a reminder of the risks that police face every day.(SOURCE)
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