An Arkansas fire chief was fatally shot while responding to a welfare check as a sheriff's deputy Thursday.
Mike Stephen, the chief for the Pineville Fire Department and a sergeant with the Stone County Sheriff's Office, was called to a house in Leslie—nearly 80 miles from Little Rock—just after 8:30 a.m., The Associated Press reports. Shots were fired at the house after Stephen spoke with a woman outside.
Stephen and the unidentified suspect in the shooting were both killed in the incident. The woman was taken to the hospital, and her injuries were not life-threatening.
Stephen served 20 years in law enforcement and was a U.S. Army veteran, the AP added.
"We would like to thank everyone for their support from both local and state wide," the fire department stated in an online post.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
