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Name Correction: Suspect dead after a shooting at a Jonesboro apartment complex

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On Tuesday, Dec. 11,  Jonesboro Police Department (JPD) received a call reporting that a person shot at 607 Gladiolus, E building.  Officers responded and found the victim, a 41-year-old Jonesboro resident, Dennis Mardis, shot multiple times by the occupant, Brenda Thomas, 56.

The victim, a maintenance employee of the apartment complex, was responding to the apartment to check the wellbeing of the suspect, as she had not been heard from in some time.  While Mardis attempted to enter the apartment, Thomas fired several times, striking Mardis multiple times. Mardis was later airlifted from the scene to the Memphis trauma center.

According to a news release from JPD, officers of the department’s crisis negotiations team took over but got no response after hours of attempts at negotiation. With fear for the safety of other tenants and no response or surrender from the suspect, the decision was made to introduce chemical munitions in another attempt to get Thomas to surrender.  Thomas took measures to counteract the chemical munitions and stayed in the apartment with no response to renewed negotiation efforts.

K9 officer Gabo was deployed in an attempt to get Thomas out of the apartment, but she immediately began shooting at Gabo. Officers then entered the apartment and Thomas began firing on the officers, at which point the officers had to use lethal force.

Tactical medics and ambulance crews on scene immediately rendered aid. Thomas was transported to a local hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The body will be sent to the Arkansas State Medical Examiner’s Office, stated the release from JPD.

The scene and investigation were turned over to the Arkansas State Police who will conduct an investigation.

Information shared from a news release issued by Jonesboro Police Department.

Correction: Jonesboro Police Department did not correctly identify the suspect in its initial release. 

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