Dad beats son with rock and slashes cop’s throat before he’s shot, Arkansas cops say

Three people are dead after a 911 call led an Arkansas police officer to a horrific scene that nearly cost him his life, the Fort Smith Police Department said.

A neighbor called police around 6:20 a.m. Sunday, concerned about “yelling and screaming” they heard outside, Fort Smith Police Chief Danny Baker said during a news conference shared on Facebook.

In two minutes, an officer arrived at the home, pulling up to the sight of a man beating a teenager with a rock outside the home, Baker said.

The officer got out of his vehicle and ordered the man, later identified as 40-year-old Christopher Conner, to stop attacking the teen . The injured person was Conner’s 15-year-old son, according to the chief.

Conner stopped and seemed to be complying, but as the officer was putting him in handcuffs, he pulled out “an edged weapon” and attacked, slashing the cop’s throat, Baker said. The officer pulled out his gun and shot Conner twice, killing him.

More police arrived at the scene, saw evidence of “an extremely violent attack inside the home,” and found another victim, Julie Marie Moore, Baker said. The 42-year-old woman had been stabbed to death.

Also inside the house was a 5-year-old, who was unharmed.

“I have no doubt that our officer’s swift actions saved this child’s life,” Baker said during the news conference.

The wounded officer and Conner’s teen son were taken to a hospital for treatment.

The boy, who had been stabbed as well as beaten, died from his injuries, Baker said. The officer was in stable condition after emergency surgery.

Arkansas State Police will be leading the investigation, Baker said, which is normal in cases where an officer shoots someone.

Fort Smith, population around 90,000, is on the western edge of Arkansas, bordering Oklahoma. It’s about 150 miles from Little Rock.

This story was originally published October 17, 2021 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Dad beats son with rock and slashes cop’s throat before he’s shot, Arkansas cops say."