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Manhunt Suspect Arrested In Missouri With Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound To The Head

BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) – A man accused of shooting at a Benton County deputy last week was taken into custody on Monday (July 13) in Jane, Missouri, with a ...

BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) - A man accused of shooting at a Benton County deputy last week was taken into custody on Monday (July 13) in Jane, Missouri, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, authorities said

The U.S. Marshals Service said Christopher Hood, 39, was being treated at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville and, according to the Benton County Sheriff's Office, was still alive Monday evening.

Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck said Hood, 39, shot himself in the head in Jane on Skaggs Hollow Road after he was surrounded by authorities following a pursuit.

"He was in a vehicle pursuit that ended when it was pitted and surrounded then by law enforcement," he said "At the scene he was alive and moving. So, what his chances are of surviving we're not sure. We hope good."

Pitting means a law enforcement officer bumps the back of a suspect's vehicle to cause it to lose control.

Early Monday morning, the U.S. Marshals and the Benton County Sheriff's Office received a tip that Hood was hiding behind a home in a wooded area outside Jane in McDonald County, according to Chief Deputy Deuaine Allen with the U.S. Marshals Service.

Allen said Hood fired several rounds at authorities as they pursued him for several miles. The Pineville City Marshal, which is an elected position, also fired a round at Hood, but did not hit him, Allen said. The city marshal is also the one who pitted Hood causing him to lose control of the vehicle allowing authorities to surround him and take him into custody, Allen said.

Allen said the vehicle Hood was driving belong to an associate of his, but investigators are still gathering more information. The Benton County Sheriff's Office posted on their Facebook page that anyone found aiding or abetting Hood will face felony hindering charges.

Ryan Bush lives in a house just down the road from where Hood was captured. He said he was asleep Monday morning when a loud crash woke him up. Bush said it was the sound of Hood hitting a utility box while he was fleeing from authorities.

"I hear the sirens and I came out on the porch and there they all go just screaming on down the road," Bush said. "They got to the corner and they did a little pit removal and then that was that."

Bush said he knew Hood was behind the wheel when he saw the scene.

"We heard that he's got some family members who live in McDonald County," he said. "So I guess if you're trying to run from the cops and get lost this would be the place to do it, on these back roads."

Bush said he is relieved the manhunt is over.

"Law enforcement did a great job and thank goodness everybody else is okay," he said.

Authorities began searching for Hood after they said he shot at a Benton County Sheriff's Office deputy on Friday night at the Links at Rainbow Curve Golf and County Club in Bentonville. The deputy was attempting to serve an arrest warrant on suspicion of parole violation when Hood fled in a vehicle across the golf course and crashed it, according to the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Hood then shot at the deputy, but missed, before taking off on foot, the sheriff's office said.

On Saturday at 8:30 p.m., authorities set up a perimeter at a Fayetteville duplex on East Drake Street and North Sierra Avenue. Police left the area after Hood was seen in Bella Vista around 10 p.m. Authorities then set up a perimeter east of U.S. 71 and caught Hood on Monday.

Sheriff Cradduck released the following statement Monday after Hood was captured:

I want to thank all of the Law Enforcement agencies and members of the community who helped us in the 4-day search for Christopher Hood, who was successfully apprehended a short time ago in McDonald County, Missouri.

Mr. Hood is currently receiving treatment for a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Our prayers are with his family, I hope that he will recover and be able to get his life back on track. I appreciate the members of the public who utilized social media to assist Law Enforcement and television media who have been relentless in helping us bring Mr. Hood to justice. We would especially like to thank the U.S. Marshal's for their service, without it this could have been a much longer investigation.

I personally would like to thank every single deputy and civilian employee who has spent an enormous amount of time trying to make sure the public stays safe in their search for Christopher Hood.

If he survives, Hood could face numerous additional charges including attempted murder, authorities said.

Hood has a long history with law enforcement. Here is a list of some of his convictions:

  • 1993- theft of property and breaking and entering
  • 1994- possession of a controlled substance
  • 1996- fleeing and failure to stop after an injury accident
  • 1996- residential burglary and theft of property
  • 2002- aggravated assault, resisting arrest, fleeing and possession of a controlled substance
  • 2006- obstruction of governmental operations, battery in the third-degree and fleeing
  • 2008- failure to appear, theft by receiving and theft of property
  • 2012- possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental operations
  • 2012- driving while under the influence
  • 2014- criminal contempt of court

According to the Benton County Sheriff's Office, Hood was also a suspect in several local burglaries.

Hood was also incarcerated in the Benton County Detention Center from March to July 2014, according to the sheriff's office. During that time he was a trusty at the jail and was released in good standing, Sheriff Cradduck said.

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