2 Ark. police killed during traffic stop; 2 suspects killed in a later shootout in parking lot

2 Ark. police killed during traffic stop

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — Two Arkansas police officers were shot and killed Thursday during a traffic stop, and a short time later, the suspects were killed in a separate shootout with the local sheriff and a deputy, authorities said.

The sheriff and chief deputy were wounded in the shootout in a Wal-Mart parking lot in West Memphis and were taken to a hospital, authorities said.

The situation began when the two West Memphis police were pulling over a white van on Interstate 40. It was not immediately clear why they pulled over the van with Ohio license plates and what led to the police being shot and killed.

The suspects fled the scene, and was later stopped at a nearby Wal-Mart parking lot. The suspects got into a shootout with the Crittenden County sheriff and the deputy, and suspects were fatally shot, authorities said.

Sheriff Richard Busby, who was shot in the arm, and Deputy W.A. Wren, who was shot in the abdomen, were taken to a local hospital, Memphis, Tenn., Safety Director Larry Godwin said. A spokesman at the Regional Medical Center said Busby’s condition was not immediately known while Wren was in critical condition.

The two West Memphis police officers killed were Brandon Paudert and Bill Evans. Paudert is the son of West Memphis police chief Bob Paudert and was assigned to the police department’s drug unit, Bob Paudert said.