FAST FACTS:
(West Memphis, AR 5/20/2010) Two West Memphis police officers were shot and killed at I-40 and Airport Road in West Memphis, AR thursday morning.
Brandon Paudert, son of West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert, was killed as was officer Bill Evans.
Investigators say Evans stopped a van and Paudert arrived soon after as backup.
It appears one of the men in the van pushed Evans to the ground and started shooting at both officers.
Police were looking for white Plymouth Caravan van with Ohio plates.
Around 1:20pm, police surrounded a Walmart in West Memphis where the van was found with no license plate.
News Channel 3 caught on tape, a gun fight between officers and the suspects.
During that shootout, Crittenden County sheriff Dick Busby was shot once in the shoulder.
West Memphis Chief of Enforcement, W.A. Wren was shot multiple times in the abdomen.
Busby's condition is not known but he appeared alert when being put in the ambulance.
Wren is said to be in critical condition.
The two suspects were killed in the shootout.
The van has been traced to a church in Ohio which we've learned has been linked to a white supremacist group.
A source tells us the church closed about 10-years ago after it was infiltrated by the FBI.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said the killings were a reminder of the risks that police face.
"I have reached out to express my condolences to the entire West Memphis Police Department, including Sergeant Paudert's father, Chief Bob Paudert," Beebe said in a statement. "This is a loss shared by all Arkansans."
- Two West Memphis police officers were shot and killed
- Police tracked a van to a Walmart parking lot in West Memphis, AR
- There was a shootout and the Crittenden County Sheriff was shot as was his Chief of Patrol
- Suspect shot dead
(West Memphis, AR 5/20/2010) Two West Memphis police officers were shot and killed at I-40 and Airport Road in West Memphis, AR thursday morning.
Brandon Paudert, son of West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert, was killed as was officer Bill Evans.
Investigators say Evans stopped a van and Paudert arrived soon after as backup.
It appears one of the men in the van pushed Evans to the ground and started shooting at both officers.
Police were looking for white Plymouth Caravan van with Ohio plates.
Around 1:20pm, police surrounded a Walmart in West Memphis where the van was found with no license plate.
News Channel 3 caught on tape, a gun fight between officers and the suspects.
During that shootout, Crittenden County sheriff Dick Busby was shot once in the shoulder.
West Memphis Chief of Enforcement, W.A. Wren was shot multiple times in the abdomen.
Busby's condition is not known but he appeared alert when being put in the ambulance.
Wren is said to be in critical condition.
The two suspects were killed in the shootout.
The van has been traced to a church in Ohio which we've learned has been linked to a white supremacist group.
A source tells us the church closed about 10-years ago after it was infiltrated by the FBI.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said the killings were a reminder of the risks that police face.
"I have reached out to express my condolences to the entire West Memphis Police Department, including Sergeant Paudert's father, Chief Bob Paudert," Beebe said in a statement. "This is a loss shared by all Arkansans."
