Sgt. Donald Scoby
Officer: Stuttgart Police Department, Sergeant Donald Scoby
Date: 12/15/2022 Location: Stuttgart, AR FACTORS (1,2,4,5,8,9,15, 21)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Jacob Cole Barnes
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Barnes has a “history of violent and threatening behavior” including an August 2021 arrest for carrying a weapon and disorderly conduct. Earlier this year he was arrested for felony aggravated assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and disorderly contact. / Yes, fled during a traffic stop and illegally possessed a firearm.
Mental Illness: Yes, Barnes had a history of mental illness including paranoia and being diagnosed with psychosis.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Yes, Barnes had prior drug related arrests where he tested positive for methamphetamines and was mandated to attend a treatment and rehabilitation center. / Unknown.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/31
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 11 p.m. on December 14, 2022, Stuttgart Police Sergeant Scoby and another police officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Jacob Barnes.
Actions taken by subject toward police: Barnes initially refused to pull over, precipitating a vehicle pursuit during which Barnes ended up jumping out of his car and running. As the two officers chased him on foot, Barnes shot at them, killing Sgt. Scoby, and hitting the other officer in his bulletproof vest before he broke into an occupied house.
Reactions by the police: The SWAT team surrounded the house and had a shootout with Barnes during which he was killed, and one officer sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
How murdered? Sgt. Scoby was fatally shot during a foot pursuit evolving from a traffic stop.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? NA, Sgt. Scoby was chasing a fleeing subject which is known as being inherently dangerous and why those who flee/resist arrest should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? If Sgt. Scoby saw Barnes making a furtive movement, he would have been justified to shoot him.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Barnes was justifiably shot dead by SWAT officers during the hostage standoff in the house.
Miscellaneous: Barnes had at least two prior arrests involving threatening people with a weapon and yet here he was not in jail and criminally possessing a weapon. Additionally, Barnes made recent social media posts saying he had nothing to lose so this could have been a suicide by cop as well.
