During an early Thursday investigation into a reported shooting along North Washington Avenue, Fayetteville police found a man who apparently took his own life after officers initiated a traffic stop.
Officers first responded to the intersection of North Washington Avenue and East Sutton Street around 8:30 a.m. following a call regarding shots fired in the area. Sgt. Stephen Mauk, the department’s spokesperson, confirmed the initial response in a news release issued Thursday morning.
According to the report, multiple witnesses spoke to officers who arrived on scene. They described seeing a white man wearing a red basketball jersey leaving the area on a motorcycle. One witness told police the man was spotted near the driveway of a residence in the 300 block of North Washington Avenue shortly before the shooting report.
Fayetteville officers traveled to the address and discovered evidence of gunfire. Investigators found multiple bullet holes in a window and a collection of shell casings in the driveway.
The incident began to connect to the earlier scene when officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle related to the initial reports. When the stop occurred, police located a man matching the description provided by witnesses. He was found with injuries consistent with a self-inflicted wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Fayetteville police are now looking into the relationship between the two properties and the timeline of the events. While the shooting appears to have occurred earlier in the morning, the vehicle stop occurred after officers had gathered witness statements and documented the damage at the home on North Washington Avenue.
The intersection of North Washington and East Sutton remains a busy corridor in downtown Fayetteville. The department has secured the scene while they process evidence and interview additional witnesses to establish a clear sequence of events leading up to the fatality.
Police have not released the identity of the victim or a specific motive for the shooting.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
