A police officer reported that he had been shot while doing his job but he didn't expect what happened next.
David Houser
An Arkansas police officer, David Houser, who sparked a manhunt and investigation by claiming he had been shot during a traffic stop has been arrested after he admitted to colleagues that the incident never happened and he had shot himself.
AP reports that the Arkansas State Police arrested 50-year-old Houser on suspicion of filing a false police report. Houser turned himself in Tuesday and was booked into the Lonoke County detention center before being released on bond.
England Police Chief Nathan Cook said he fired Houser on Monday after the officer admitted to investigators that he had lied. Cook said the traffic stop and shooting — as Houser described it — never happened, and that investigators believe Houser fired the shot that grazed his bullet-resistant vest.
"The more we investigated, the more it became clear that the details of his story were inconsistent," Cook said. "We went after it as if we were going after someone who had just tried to kill a police officer."
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley says Houser has no attorney. Houser didn't return a call seeking comment.
Police said Houser called in a traffic stop about 2 a.m. on Oct. 24, on rural state highway 15, about 30 miles east of Little Rock. Shortly after calling in the stop, Houser reported to police dispatch that the driver had shot him and he had returned fire with his service weapon.
Arkansas Police spokesperson, Bill Sadler said: "I've heard he's a very good guy, so this is shocking and it's disappointing, but he's going to be held accountable," Staley said.
"It happens enough in reality. You pray that when you make a traffic stop, it won't happen. And it does. Why would you ever make that up? What would he gain from that? It's just amazing to me."