BENTONVILLE (KFSM)- Bentonville manhunt suspect Christopher Hood died at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville on Thursday (July 16) after he was captured Monday morning.
Authorities said Hood shot himself in the head after they surrounded him on a road in Jane, Missouri. Christopher Hood Jr. had to make the decision Thursday to take his father off life support.
“From what I understand, he just did not want to go back to prison, and I guess he was going to do anything to make that happen,” Hood Jr. said. ”It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life, and I feel like if he wanted anyone to make that decision for him, it would have been his own son.”
Hood Jr. said he spoke with his father about five hours before Hood Sr. fired a gun at deputies and fled Bentonville prompting a four-day manhunt throughout Northwest Arkansas and Missouri.
“His last words were `I love you, son. ` And, he said `I got to go.` And, that was kind of the end of it," Hood Jr. said. "He sounded very depressed."
Hood Jr. said his father was addicted to drugs and that played a role in the decisions he made.
“I never knew it would go to this extent,” Hood Jr. said. “He just kind of grew up and went the wrong path.”
Hood Jr. said he knew his father might die the second he heard Hood Sr. had run from authorities.
“I didn't want that to happen, but deep down inside I knew there was a possibility of that because I knew he was going through some very rough depression stages,” Hood Jr. said. “I was honestly wanting them to catch him, without any gun shots fired, or it leading to the way it did.”
The Benton County Sheriff`s Office said they also hoped the manhunt would end differently.
“This is not the outcome that we wanted in this case, absolutely not,” said Benton County Sheriff's Office Deputy Keshia Guyll. “We are going to complete this investigation like we would any other time. The investigation will be completed, the reports will be finished and evidence will be submitted. His family and friends are in our prayers and in our thoughts.”
Hood Jr. said the last time he saw his father was in December.
“I just cherish that moment because that was the last time we were singing ‘Paint Me a Birmingham’ by Tracy Lawrence and were just dancing to it," he said.
At the same time, Hood Jr. said he knew his father's choices were what led him down this road. He said it's something he'll tell his own kids about one day.
“I love the man to death," he said. "He made some bad decisions, and he would want them to grow up on the right path and not follow the path he did."
Hood Jr. is in the Army. He and his wife are stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.