Questions hang over standoff that killed 107-year-old Arkansas man

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – When the time came to move 107-year-old Monroe Isadore to a new home, police say he resisted and barricaded himself inside. Authorities tried using negotiating tactics, a camera, and finally gas to get him to come out.

None of it worked.

So, a SWAT team went inside and was greeted by gunfire, authorities say. The team fired back, and Isadore died.

The weekend confrontation raised a flurry of questions Monday as residents struggled to make sense of how someone known as a pleasant, churchgoing man who was hard of hearing and carried a cane had died in an explosive confrontation. Did authorities know how old he was? Did they follow proper procedure? Could they have done anything differently?

"It's just a big puzzle," said Ivory Perry, who has known Isadore for decades.

The standoff began Saturday, according to a police report. Laurie Barlow, 48, of Lonoke, told officers she had gone to the house where Isadore was living temporarily to help him move to a new home. She said Isadore had previously been excited about the move but that when she arrived Isadore barricaded himself in a room.

"Ms. Barlow stated his granddaughter finally got him to open the door and she went around to speak with Mr. Isadore, at that time she stated Mr. Isadore raised his arm and pointed a gun at her and stated 'You better stop breaking into my house,' " the report said.

A SWAT team, called out when negotiations failed, maneuvered a camera into the house to see how Isadore was armed, then stormed inside after deploying gas and a distraction device, the report said. When Isadore fired, the entry team fired back.

Police Sgt. David DeFoor said Monday that Isadore had been living at the home temporarily but did not go into more detail. The sergeant also said officers may not have been aware of the man's age.

"The only thing they knew that I'm aware of was that he was older," DeFoor said.

Prosecutors are expected to review whether police reacted appropriately.

In Isadore's old neighborhood, where he lived until several months ago, friends recalled him as a pleasant and active man. He mowed lawns in his advanced years and kept a vegetable garden, often sharing its bounty.

Robert and Ivory Perry said they had known Isadore for more than 20 years.

"Everybody knows Mr. Isadore," said Robert Perry, 76.

His wife, Ivory Perry, 65, said Isadore had done his own cooking — she recalled neck bones and rice pudding — and talked about religion.