Rogers Police say the man who shot and wounded a corporal early Wednesday morning at Lake Atalanta had a criminal history. But recent posts on a Facebook page belonging to Lance Duffy, 22, of Rogers, suggest he was afraid of taking the fall for crimes he didn't commit.
Duffy was arrested in 2009 on charges of theft of property, shoplifting, criminal trespassing, public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia and contempt of court, according to investigators.
During a news conference at the Rogers Police Department Wednesday afternoon, investigators said police say they found drugs with Duffy when he shot and killed himself outside his girlfriend’s home near War Eagle Mill. However, they would not confirm if they were illegal drugs.
Chief James Allen says investigators do not believe Duffy was diagnosed with any kind of mental illness nor was he on any type of prescription medication.
According to Duffy's public Facebook page, he updated his status shortly after the shooting: ‘I done f---ed up.’
A little later he posted: 'like don`t freak out anybody but i just shot a cop….. no joke lol im scurred.’
Other posts by Duffy on Facebook suggest he was suicidal: ‘you know all throughout this week man after man has tried to threaten me stomp on me and blame me for crimes they have committed well i give you one warning im already suicidal give me f---ing reason to chase you all down like rats i wnt to watch the dogs feast on your f---ing corpses in the streets..... i will not submit for crimes i did not commit.’
Investigators say Duffy shot himself twice, once in the chest and once in the stomach, with his father’s .357 after a pursuit with Madison County deputies. Duffy had been on the run since around 2:30 a.m. when he shot Cpl. Jeff Pollock of the Rogers Police Department in the torso near the dam at Lake Atalanta.
Investigators say during that pursuit he rammed two deputies' vehicles.
The deputies asked him to stop his vehicle and raise his hands. Duffy complied at first but then they heard two gunshots coming from inside the car, investigators say.
Duffy was pronounced dead outside his girlfriend’s home near War Eagle Mill. According to police, his girlfriend and her daughter were home when he shot himself.
The Arkansas Crisis Center provides a 24/7 Crisis Hotline and online chat for suicide prevention and crisis intervention. Visit www.arcrisis.org or call the Crisis Hotline at 1-888-274-7472.