Arkansas State Police’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Cross County just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. A man and a woman connected to a violent felony in Etowah County, Alabama, fired on officers after evading law enforcement in a pursuit that crossed three counties.
One suspect died and the other was wounded in the incident.
Occupants of the vehicle were suspects in a shooting out of Hokes Bluff, AL. The suspects’ vehicle led law enforcement on a pursuit that began in Crittenden County, proceeded through a rural section of Poinsett County and entered Cross County, where spike strips were deployed on Highway 75.
Officers returned fire, striking suspects William Burchett, 54, and Tammi Naler, 47. Naler died of injuries sustained in the incident. Burchett, who is wanted in the Tuesday shooting of his mother in Hokes Bluff, AL, was transported St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro.
Deputies from Crittenden, Poinsett and Cross counties were involved in the incident but were not injured. (No ASP Troopers were involved in the pursuit or the shooting.)
The deceased was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where manner and cause of death will be determined. The investigation is ongoing.
An investigative case file will be presented to the prosecuting attorney, who will determine whether the use of deadly force by officers was consistent with Arkansas law.
