Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – A Brookland man faces multiple charges after police said he fired more than a dozen rounds in a Jonesboro Walmart parking lot Thursday.
Judge Ed Clawson Jr. found probable cause Oct. 16 to charge 28-year-old Hayden Paul Freeman with the following:
- First-degree criminal mischief/property of another with a value over $1,000 but less than $5,000 (Class D felony)
- Discharging firearms within city limits (Class A misdemeanor)
- Resisting arrest (Class B misdemeanor)
- Disorderly conduct (Class C misdemeanor)
- Carrying a weapon (Class A misdemeanor)
Freeman was arrested Oct. 15 after Jonesboro police officers responded to multiple emergency calls that day about an active shooter in the East Highland Drive Walmart parking lot. Officers found Freeman sitting inside a vehicle matching caller descriptions.
The probable cause affidavit said when he was ordered out of the vehicle, Freeman exited and briefly walked toward officers before attempting to return to his car. Freeman repeatedly failed to comply with verbal commands to get on the ground and resisted arrest before officers brought him down and placed him in handcuffs.
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Witnesses told investigators that Freeman had been walking around his vehicle behaving erratically. He reportedly attempted to enter a white pickup truck parked next to his car by yanking on the door handles. Unable to open the truck, Freeman returned to his own vehicle and began shooting from inside.
The affidavit said that the gunfire flattened both tires on one side of the truck and struck the vehicle multiple times through the fender well and bed, with rounds penetrating through to strike the opposite wheel and tire. Surveillance video reviewed by detectives corroborated witness accounts, showing Freeman pulling on the truck’s handles and subsequently firing multiple shots into it from within his car.
Inside Freeman’s vehicle, detectives recovered a pistol alongside 13 to 14 spent shell casings.
Following his arrest, Freeman was transported to St. Bernards Medical Center for a medical evaluation. While officers initially suspected he might be under the influence of narcotics, authorities reported that Freeman displayed severe signs of mental distress while in custody, screaming and holding conversations with individuals who were not present.
A mental health hold was subsequently placed on Freeman. The affidavit said that officers were informed he had been discharged from a behavioral health facility just days prior to the incident.
After being cleared and released from the hospital, Freeman was booked into the Craighead County Detention Center, where he is being held on a $50,000 cash/surety bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 23.
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