Records relating to an investigation into the Sept. 7 death of Monroe Isadore in Pine Bluff also will be sealed, Judge Berlin Jones said. He also appointed special prosecutor Jason Barrett and special deputy prosecutor Jack McQuary to investigate police's use of force.
Authorities have said Isadore shot at police, who returned fire and killed him. Police said they tried using a camera, negotiating tactics and gas before shooting Isadore.
But his death has prompted questions from residents and some leaders in Pine Bluff, a community of about 50,000 people about 45 miles southeast of Little Rock.
According to a police report, Laurie Barlow told officers she had gone to the house where Isadore was living temporarily to help him move to a new home Saturday. She said Isadore previously had been excited about the move, but that when she arrived, Isadore barricaded himself in a room.
Police said Isadore's granddaughter eventually got him to open the door, but he pointed a gun at her.
Authorities said after officers moved Barlow and the granddaughter across the street, Isadore fired at a door. A SWAT team was called out when negotiations failed and maneuvered a camera into the house to see how Isadore was armed. The team then stormed inside after deploying gas and a distraction device, the report said. When Isadore fired, the entry team fired back.
Police have said an officer involved in the weekend shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Barrett, the special prosecutor, said in a statement that neither he nor McQuary will talk publicly about the investigation.
"This matter is one that has garnered the attention of numerous individuals and agencies and must be handled professionally without the distractions of inquiries, innuendo, and misleading information coming from sources who were not there and do not know the facts," Barrett said in the statement. "Once this investigate is complete, it will be made 'open' to the public. Mr. Isadore and the Pine Bluff Police Department as well as the public deserve this respect."
