August 16, 2024

The 17th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney, Rebecca Reed McCoy, determined Arkansas State Police (ASP) and the U.S. Marshals Service used appropriate and reasonable deadly force in the shooting death of Darrell Lawayne Esau II after a standoff in DeValls Bluff on July 25, 2024.

U.S. Marshals and ASP attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Esau, 32, of Little Rock, around 9 a.m. on July 25. Esau was wanted on multiple felony warrants out of Little Rock, Sherwood, and Pulaski County and was sought as an absconder by the Arkansas Division of Community Correction (ACC). Active warrants included four counts of terroristic act, felon in possession of a firearm, and battery in the first degree. Esau had previously been convicted of homicide charges.

Due to the violent nature of the charges in the arrest warrant, officers used a public address system in an attempt to call Esau out of his residence. Esau did not respond to the demands to exit the residence. Within approximately 15 seconds of officers breaching the front door of the residence, Esau fired three shots through the roof of his mobile home, and in less than one minute, Esau began shooting at officers.

Members of the ASP Emergency Response Team, SWAT, and hostage negotiation teams arrived on the scene. The ASP SWAT team attempted to negotiate with Esau and made multiple attempts to get him to surrender; however, the efforts for a less-than-lethal resolution to the standoff were unsuccessful.

A numerous amount of spent shell casings of various calibers were also discovered in multiple locations in the residence from six different weapons, which included fully automatic and high-powered rifles, commonly referred to as “assault weapons.” Those firearms were used at various times by Esau to fire at officers, their vehicles, and the ASP armored BearCat.

At approximately 1:02 p.m., ASP SWAT officers fatally shot Esau.