PRAIRIE COUNTY, Ark. — A Little Rock man is dead after a four-hour standoff with the Arkansas State Police SWAT team in Prarie County.
Arkansas State Police (ASP) said 32-year-old Darrell Esau barricaded himself inside a home Thursday morning on East Walnut Street in DeValls Bluff, located about 50 miles east of Little Rock.
That's when police said Esau began exchanging gunfire with authorities, including U.S. Marshals and Arkansas State Police. No troopers were injured in the standoff, but Esau was shot and killed.
"It was clear [Esau] was not going to be taken into U.S. Marshal's custody," Eastern District Prosecuting Attorney Johnathan Ross said. "It's a miracle no one else was killed."
Investigators determined Esau fired "at least 169 rounds from six different weapons, which included fully automatic and high-powered rifles." Arkansas State Police said more than 400 rounds were exchanged between Esau and law enforcement.
"The investigation is still ongoing, but we know Mr. Esau fired at least 169 rounds... at least one of which was a fully automatic weapon," Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said. "Two were high-powered rifles commonly referred to as assault weapons."
Esau was wanted on multiple felony warrants in Little Rock, Sherwood and Pulaski County. The active warrants included multiple counts of first-degree battery, numerous counts of terrorist act, possession of firearms by certain persons, aggravated residential burglary and domestic battery.
The U.S. Marshals Service had been searching for Esau for over a year and a half before agents from ASP's Criminal Investigation Division learned of his whereabouts on Wednesday.
After finding Esau, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and ASP troopers went to the DeValls Bluff home to take him into custody, but he "opened fire on the team when they arrived."
ASP said they contacted Esau by phone and attempted to negotiate his surrender for over two and a half hours before the fatal exchange of gunfire.
"This is just one more example of local, state and federal partners working together for the overall mission of keeping the citizens of Arkansas safe," Hagar said.
State police added that the U.S. Marshals have arrested 13 wanted criminals over the last two days. They also obtained more than $60,000, eight guns and an unknown amount of drugs.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing. We will update this story with more information as it becomes available.
