On the night of Saturday, August 17, 2024, 19-year-old Jack Thomas Poole was found with a fatal gunshot wound at an off-campus residence in the 400 block of Ashwood in Russellville, Arkansas. Officers arrived at about 10:40 p.m.; Poole was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities described their initial findings as suggesting the shooting was accidental, but the precise circumstances remain under active investigation. No arrests or named suspects have been announced.Poole was a sophomore nursing major at Arkansas Tech University, a 2023 graduate of Sacred Heart High School in Morrilton and a resident of Hattieville.

The university offered counseling services after his death, and family, friends and classmates expressed profound grief.Questions remain about how the shooting occurred that night; anyone with information is asked to come forward.