Arkansas Police Officer Killed: 16-year-old Charged With Capital Murder

LITTLE ROCK, AR — A teenager is charged as an adult with capital murder in last month's shooting death of an Arkansas police officer.

The 16-year-old was held Wednesday at a juvenile detention center in the death of Newport police Lt. Patrick Weatherford. The teen's name wasn't immediately released by authorities. The charges filed Wednesday also include possession of a handgun by a minor.

An 18-year-old had previously been accused in the June 12 shooting, but prosecutor Henry Boyce said that man will now just face charges of breaking or entering, theft of property and furnishing a deadly weapon to a minor. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Police say Weatherford was shot while investigating a vehicle break-in at Newport, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. Weatherford died at a hospital that night.

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