Officer Chris Rankin

Public Information Officer

903-798-3187 (office) 903-260-0294 (pager)

903-824-4199 (cell) 903-798-3023 (fax)

Texarkana Arkansas Police Badge

Re: Update on Officer Involved Shooting

On Monday 9/05/05 at 2:49p.m. Texarkana Arkansas Police Officers responded to a call of a trespasser at 5001 Blackmon Ferry Road. Anita Lewis (46 y.o.a. Texarkana, AR) phoned 911 and stated that her estranged husband, Gary Lewis (48 y.o.a. Texarkana, AR), had come to the house and was attempting to gain entry. A no contact order had been issued against Mr. Lewis and temporary custody of the house and property had been given to Mrs. Lewis. A second female, Brenda Givens (52 y.o.a. Texarkana, AR), was in the house and she contacted Mr.Lewis at the door while Mrs. Lewis notified 911.

Dispatchers remained on the phone with Mrs. Lewis and they were told that Mr. Lewis was attempting to break in the door to the house. At this point the two women retreated into the hall bathroom and successfully barricaded themselves. They were able to advise dispatch that Mr. Lewis had gained entry to the house and was now attempting to break into the bathroom. The two women continued to try to talk to Mr. Lewis and convince him to leave. Officers were initially told that the suspect was carrying a box cutter, but after he gained entry to the house he indicated to the women that he intended to shoot through the door if they did not come out.

Officer Mike Hollingsworth was the first to arrive at the scene and was followed shortly thereafter by Officer Doyle Potts and Sergeant Mike McQuerrey. The officers made an approach to the back door of the house and found that the glass had been broken out. The door remained shut and locked. Officers forced the door open and Ofc. Potts made entry to the kitchen area of the house. At this point Ofc. Potts saw Mr. Lewis standing several feet away in the living room of the house. Ofc. Potts immediately ordered Mr. Lewis to show his hands and surrender, but he did not. Mr. Lewis ran from Ofc. Potts and into the hallway area of the house. At this point the officers knew that the suspect had gone into one of the bedrooms in the hallway but they were not sure which one.

As Ofc.'s Potts, Hollingsworth, and McQuerrey made their way further into the house they heard a gunshot come from one of the bedrooms to the right side of the hallway. The officers were better able to pinpoint where the shot had come from but they still could not see the suspect. The officers were able to make verbal contact with the two women in the bathroom and provide them with instructions. It was at this point that Ofc. Hollingsworth took up a position in a bedroom doorway at the opposite end of the hallway where they believed the suspect to be. In order to evacuate the two women, Sgt. McQuerrey exited the house to retrieve a ballistic blanket which is kept in the supervisor's patrol unit. This would provide a bullet resistant shield for the officers and victims.

Ofc. Potts knelt down near the bathroom door and continued to communicate with the two women as well as dispatch. It was then that the suspect appeared at the door of one of the bedrooms and pointed a pistol directly at Ofc. Potts. Ofc. Hollingsworth saw this from his position and fired four rounds striking the suspect. After the gunfire the suspect retreated back into the bedroom that he had come from. Officers took up defensive positions inside the house and the ballistic blanket was used to evacuate the two women who were still locked in the bathroom. Neither the officers or the two victims were injured. Continual attempts were made by the officers to try to establish verbal contact with the suspect after the shots were fired but they were unsuccessful.

Due to the fact that the suspect was armed and his condition was unknown the supervisor on scene advised dispatch to contact SWAT personnel and a staging area was set up. At approximately 4:16p.m. SWAT personnel relieved patrolmen who had surrounded the house and an entry team then entered the residence. Within minutes the team was able to locate the suspect by using tactical mirrors to clear the bedroom that the suspect had retreated into. LifeNet was immediately notified and they responded to the house from the staging area several blocks away. LifeNet confirmed that the suspect was deceased. The investigation of the shooting is complete and .. . . . . . . . ..

Thank you and you can visit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department online at http://www.txkusa.org/arkpolice.