A Northwest Arkansas sheriff's deputy was fatally shot Wednesday morning and a local police chief was injured while responding to a disturbance call.

Sebastian County Deputy Bill Cooper was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon at Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith. A visibily emotional Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck described Cooper, a 15-year veteran and former U.S. Marine, as "dynamic."

"He loved his job," Hollenbeck told a news conference. "He could've retired years ago. He loved this community so much he stayed on."

Related Image

cooperExpand / Contract

Deputy Bill Cooper was shot Wednesday morning. (SCSD)

Hackett Chief of Police Darrell Spells earlier was treated and released from the hospital after being grazed in the forehead by a bullet. Police were also searching for a K9 officer that managed to get out of her keel after being shot.

Billy M. Jones, 35, was identified as the accused gunman and taken into custody shortly before noon, nearly five hours after the shooting in a rural, wooded area about six miles from the Oklahoma border.

"We have limited information as to why this has happened," Hollenbeck said, adding that investigators are "looking into" the possibility that this was a plaed attack.

Hollenbeck said Jones's father had initially contacted police, claiming that his son had come to his house and threatened him with a gun. The sheriff added that Jones was due to appear in court today for a hearing on whether a previous suspended sentence should be revoked.

KHBS, citing court records, reported that Jones was arrested in February on charges of gun possession after having been previously convicted of a felony, and of Possession of Oxycodone. NEWS5 listed multiple prior offenses for Jones, including a 2007 conviction for manufacture and possession of a controlled substance and a 2011 conviction for theft of property. He was charged in February 2016 with possession of firearms and possession of a controlled substance.

Hollenbeck added that that Jones had said he wanted to cause a "ruckus" ahead of his court appearance.

After the shootings, dozens of police vehicles, including a SWAT truck, quickly descended on the area as Jones barricaded himself in the house.

At one point, Hollenbeck said Jones shot a police robot that was trying to gather information about the scene. The sheriff added that officers also found explosives inside the home.

James Markward, who lives nearby, told the Associated Press he heard a commotion early Wednesday.

"It woke me up this morning, the gunshots. Of course I didn't know what was going on," the 72-year-old said in a telephone interview. "My neighbor called me and asked if I was shooting, and I said `No, not me."'

Markward said the shooting suspect once helped him split wood, but said he hadn't seen the man in a few years.

"As far as I know, he was all right," he said.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement that Cooper's death "tragically illustrates the dangers our law enforcement officers face each and every day to keep us safe."

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, whose district includes part of Sebastian County, echoed the governor's support for police.

"It's a shame the price that law enforcement officers are paying right now," Westerman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.