Fort Smith police released the name of a man who killed himself after a standoff with police and SWAT personnel over the weekend.
Police officials said Travis Richard Johnson, 37, shot himself while barricaded in a residence on the 2100 block of Carthage Drive. Fort Smith law enforcement responded to the scene after a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at approximately 6:26 Saturday evening (Aug. 3).
A woman told police her husband got upset and began to choke her after an argument. The man then grabbed a handgun and locked himself in a bedroom and fired shots into the walls of the home, police officials said.
The woman and her children left the residence unharmed. When police arrived on the scene, officers heard a single gunshot from inside the residence.
Fort Smith police officers requested assistance from the city’s SWAT unit and the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office. A perimeter was set up and negotiators attempted to make contact with the man inside the home.
SWAT members fired tear gas canisters into the home and made entry. Officers found the man dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
Rhonda Lovell who lives in the neighborhood said she heard the sound of glass breaking coming from behind the suspect’s house.
Lovell said the events were “somewhat” surprising for the neighborhood. “This is nothing like what you would ever expect. Nothing.”
