PRAIRIE COUNTY, Ark. — According to reports, officers with the Arkansas State Police (ASP) and the U.S. Marshals Service were cleared for the use of deadly force during a four-hour standoff with a Little Rock man in DeValls Bluff on July 25.
The 17th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney, Rebecca Reed McCoy, determined that both agencies used appropriate and reasonable deadly force in the shooting death of 32-year-old Darrell Lawayne Esau II.
On July 25, 2024, officials attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Esau, who was wanted on multiple felony warrants out of Little Rock, Sherwood, and Pulaski County and was sought as an absconder by the Arkansas Division of Community Correction (ACC).
His active warrants included four counts of terroristic act, felon in possession of a firearm, and first-degree battery. Esau has also previously been convicted of homicide charges.
Due to the violent nature of his charges, officers used a public address system to try and get Esau to come out of his residence.
After Esau did not respond to demands to exit the home, officers breached the front door. At this time, Esau fired three shots through the roof of his mobile home before shooting at the officers.
Members of the ASP Emergency Response Team, SWAT, and hostage negotiation team were called to the scene to attempt to negotiate with Esau,
Multiple attempts to get him to surrender were made, however, ultimately proved unsuccessful.
A search of the residence revealed numerous spent shell casings of various calibers in multiple locations from six different weapons, which included fully automatic and high-powered rifles, commonly referred to as "assault weapons."
These firearms were used at various times by Esau to fire at officers, their vehicles, and the ASP armored BearCat.
