FAYETTEVILLE — An off-duty Washington County sheriff’s deputy fired his weapon at a moving vehicle in Fayetteville on Sunday night, striking an 18-year-old passenger who then sought medical treatment, the Fayetteville Police Department said Monday.
Fayetteville police responded about 10:20 p.m. CT Sunday to reports of multiple vehicles driving around and lighting fireworks near Eastpoint Drive and South Roberts Road, Sgt. Stephen Mauk, the department’s public information officer, said in a statement released Monday. During the incident an off-duty deputy, later identified by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as Sgt. John Byrd, attempted to intervene and at some point discharged his firearm, Mauk said.
The passenger struck by gunfire, an 18-year-old from Fayetteville, drove himself to a hospital and was treated for injuries that police described as non-life-threatening. Fayetteville police are leading the criminal investigation, Mauk said, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal review.
The sheriff’s office identified the deputy as Byrd and said he is a sergeant at the Washington County Detention Center. The agency’s news release said Byrd has been employed by the sheriff’s office since Feb. 15, 2009, and that he has been placed on administrative leave pending the internal investigation.
What authorities said
Sgt. Mauk said the initial call involved people in multiple vehicles driving around and lighting fireworks. The Fayetteville police account says that an off-duty Washington County deputy “attempted to intervene” in the incident and that, “at some time during the interaction, the deputy discharged his firearm.” The vehicle involved in the shooting left the scene, and the deputy remained, Mauk said.
- Fayetteville police are conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting.
- The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal investigation and has placed Sgt. John Byrd on administrative leave.
- The 18-year-old passenger was taken to a hospital by private vehicle and is expected to survive, police said.
The Fayetteville police statement and the sheriff’s office release did not include information about any charges or whether weapons were recovered. Police and the sheriff’s office did not provide additional details about the circumstances that led the deputy to intervene.
Administrative leave is an agency action that the Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced as part of its internal review process. Criminal investigations by local police proceed independently from internal personnel reviews; any decision to file charges would be made by prosecutors if the investigation produces evidence supporting criminal charges.
Reporter Ron Wood, who covered the case for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, noted the sheriff’s office statement and that Byrd remains an employee of the detention center during the administrative leave.
Fayetteville police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office did not provide further comment beyond their Monday releases.
