Police Officer Kevin Apple
Officer: Pea Ridge Police Department, Police Officer Kevin Apple
Date: 6/26/2021 Location: Pea Ridge, AR FACTORS (1,2,3,8,11,13,14)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Shawna Rhae Cash; Elijah Anadoloza Sr.
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Cash had multiple convictions for drug possession, theft of property and credit card fraud from 2018-2020 and two charges of theft by receiving earlier in 2021. Anadoloza was arrested earlier in the year for drug possession./Yes, Cash was fleeing from police and had drug paraphernalia in the Jeep.
Mental Illness: Unknown.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Yes, both Cash and Anadoloza have prior drug-related arrests./Yes, a substance believed to be meth and a glass pipe were found in the vehicle.
Race/Sex/Age: Cash - White/Female/22; Anadoloza – Latino/Male/18
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? Observing a blue Jeep matching the description of one that had fled from officers less than an hour earlier, Police Officers Kevin Apple and Brian Stamps boxed it in-between their two patrol cars at a gas station where it was stopped at the pumps around 12:09 p.m. on June 26, 2021.
Actions taken by subject toward police: After Officer Apple exited his patrol and approached the Jeep, Shawna Cash put the Jeep in reverse and backed into Officer Stamps patrol car. Officer Apple the drew his gun and pointed it at the Jeep which Cash then used to run him over, crushing him against his own patrol car and then dragging Officer Apple underneath the Jeep for nearly 150 feet, killing him.
Reactions by the police: Officer Apple shot at the vehicle before Cash killed him with it and Officer Stamp shot at it as Cash drove it away. Responding officers eventually captured the suspects after Cash crashed the vehicle.
How murdered? Officer Apple was run over while conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle that had fled from police earlier in the day.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? The officers used good tactics by boxing the Jeep in. Officer Apple put himself in front of the vehicle to deter Cash from driving away, which usually works but when it did not, it left him incredibly exposed. As soon as Cash deliberately rammed the patrol car, Officer Apple could have justifiably shot her.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? Yes, considering Cash had rammed the Jeep into Officer Stamps patrol car with him in it, Officer Apple could have reasonably believed she would then drive at him and justifiably shot her before she did.
Outcome for the cop-killer: The driver, Cash was “charged with capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault, first-degree escape, fleeing, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, two counts of criminal mischief, obstructing governmental operations and reckless driving,” and Anadoloza was charged as an accomplice to capital murder and escape.
Miscellaneous: Gas station surveillance video captured the incident.
