A man suspected of killing a deputy and injuring a police chief during a standoff in Arkansas is believed to have been waiting for officers before firing several rounds at them, officials said.
Heavily armed police at the scene of the police shooting on HWY 253 in Sebastian County.
"Immediately when three officers got [to the house] they were basically ambushed," Sgt. Daniel Grubbs with the Fort Smith Police Department told local news station KFSM.
Officials also said the suspect may have been wearing a bulletproof vest during the standoff Wednesday morning, suggesting he was prepared for some sort of confrontation.
"The information we have received right now is it appears this guy was waiting for us to get here," Grubbs said. "It seems [he had] full intent to inflict violence against us."
The suspect, Billy Jones, surrendered and was in custody, after an hours-long standoff with multiple law enforcement agencies in Sebastian County.
Suspect Billy Jones surrendered himself and is now in custody @5NEWS
Sebastian County Deputy Bill Cooper died of a fatal wound to his neck after Jones shot him, Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck said at a news conference.
Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells, who was also shot at by Jones, was grazed in the forehead and was released from the hospital, Hollenbeck said.
Jones, 35, visited his father's house to take some tools, according to Hollenbeck. He then pulled a gun on his father. Responding to a 911 call, police arrived at the residence. Jones, who had body armor, began firing multiple rounds at officers with an assault rifle.
Hollenbeck said Jones wanted "to create a ruckus" as he was due in court Wednesday for unspecified charges against him.
Both Spells and Cooper were hit by fire from Jones. A K-9 dog, who was shot, was reported missing, Hollenbeck said. Jones also shot at a police robot "used to gather intelligence from the scene," he said.
SWAT teams rescued several civilians trapped in the line of fire, including neighbors and Jones' family members. Negotiations were also attempted during the standoff but Jones "never actively responded to negotiations," Hollenbeck said.
At around 11:46 am local time, Jones chose to surrender to law enforcement.
Authorities found "certain amount of explosive materials" in the house, according to Hollenbeck. A bomb squad was also deployed to clear the home.
"We have limited information as to why this actually happened," Hollenbeck said. "This extremely violent situation came out of nowhere."
Cooper, 65, a former Marine, was a "dynamic" veteran of the force since 2001, Hollenbeck said. "He loved his job. He could have retired years ago but he loved his community so much he stayed on."
This is deputy Bill Cooper who was shot this morning responding to a welfare call
Describing him as an "outstanding officer," Hollenbeck said Cooper "loved the men and women he worked with and they loved him."