Trooper Louis Perry Bryant, 37, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on June 30, 1984, on U.S. Highway 71 near De Queen, Arkansas. A United States Air Force veteran, Bryant had served with the Arkansas State Police for 10 years after earlier work with the Fayetteville Police Department. He was struck multiple times when the van’s driver, identified as Richard Wayne Snell, opened fire with a modified Colt 45 as Bryant approached the vehicle. Bryant’s wife and two children were traveling to meet him for lunch and found his patrol car at the roadside after the shooting.

Witnesses reported a brown and white van leaving the scene; officers in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, later engaged the vehicle, and Snell was wounded and taken into custody. Authorities recovered numerous weapons from the van, including a semi-automatic pistol and a grenade. Snell confessed to killing Trooper Bryant and was later sentenced to life without parole for this murder. Four members of the DeQueen Police Department were killed in an automobile crash while traveling to Bryant’s funeral.

If anyone has information about Trooper Bryant or remembers the events around June 30, 1984, please share what is known.