LODI – A Pike County deputy is on administrative leave with pay following an incident where he shot to death a Pike County woman who was reportedly wielding a knife, according to Sheriff Travis Hill.
Hill identified Deputy David Walker as the officer involved in the shooting on Aug. 29.
Walker will remain on administrative leave for a yet to be determined time. Walker is one of two school resource officers employed by the Centerpoint School District and was called to the scene due to his proximity, said the sheriff.
The shooting killed Jennifer Provence, 40, of Lodi.
The incident first began as a 911 call concerning a woman with a knife. An ambulance was notified was on standby nearby when the deputy arrived on the scene.
Sheriff Hill said the incident is being investigated by special agents with the Criminal Division of the Arkansas State Police and referred all questions to that agency.
Hill did tell the newspaper that deputies with the Pike County Sheriff’s Department are required to wear body cameras and that Walker’s camera was activated during the incident.
According to the ASP, Provence allegedly did not respond to the deputy’s commands to drop the knife and he fired his service weapon, striking Provence, who succumbed to her injuries on scene.
