Darrell Esau II dies in fatal DeValls Bluff shooting
Fatal DeValls Bluff shooting death of Darrell Esau II – Obituary
On Friday, Arkansas State Police identified Darrell Esau II, 32, from Little Rock, as the individual killed in a gun battle with SWAT officers that unfolded Thursday afternoon in DeValls Bluff.
The confrontation followed an extended standoff that lasted several hours.
According to Colonel Mike Hagar, director of the state police and secretary of the state Department of Public Safety, Esau had barricaded himself inside a residence on East Walnut Street.
Despite attempts by state police negotiators to persuade him to surrender over the course of about two and a half hours, Esau continued to fire at officers.
The standoff, which spanned from around 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., saw the discharge of approximately 400 rounds. Esau, armed with six firearms—including one capable of fully automatic fire—fired at least 169 rounds, Hagar reported.
Fortunately, no officers sustained injuries during the exchange, though Esau’s gunfire did impact the SWAT team’s Bearcat armored vehicle.
U.S. marshals, who had been tracking Esau for roughly a year and a half, along with state police, arrived at his home on Thursday morning to execute several active warrants. Esau responded with automatic gunfire. The previous night, state police had located Esau during an unrelated investigation.
The warrants included charges from Little Rock and Sherwood police for offenses such as first-degree battery, committing a terroristic act, aggravated residential burglary, domestic battery, and possession of a firearm by certain individuals.
Additionally, Esau had evaded the state Department of Corrections’ Division of Community Correction and had a robbery warrant from the Pulaski County sheriff’s office.
Fatal DeValls Bluff shooting death of Darrell Esau II – Obituary On Friday, Arkansas State Police identified Darrell Esau II, 32, from Little Rock, as the individual killed in a gun battle with SWAT officers that unfolded Thursday afternoon in DeValls Bluff. The confrontation followed an extended standoff that lasted several hours. According to Colonel…
Fatal DeValls Bluff shooting death of Darrell Esau II – Obituary On Friday, Arkansas State Police identified Darrell Esau II, 32, from Little Rock, as the individual killed in a gun battle with SWAT officers that unfolded Thursday afternoon in DeValls Bluff. The confrontation followed an extended standoff that lasted several hours. According to Colonel…