A Cleburne County teacher has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after allegedly shooting and killing his brother during a confrontation earlier this week. Authorities identified the suspect as 42-year-old Dustin Cannon of Ida, Arkansas.
He was taken into custody on Monday following the fatal shooting of his brother, Austin Cannon, at a home on Heber Springs Road. Sheriff Chris Brown said deputies responded to a report of gunfire around 7 p.m. When they arrived, they found Austin Cannon dead outside the residence from multiple gunshot wounds.
According to court documents, Dustin Cannon admitted to investigators that he had shot his brother. “He stated that his brother had threatened to kill his wife and daughter,” Detective Lt. Jeff Bittle wrote in the affidavit. “Dustin stated that his brother, Austin Cannon, came at him, and when he raised his fist to hit him, he (Dustin) just began shooting.”
During a post-Miranda interview, Cannon told investigators his handgun contained 21 rounds and that he fired all of them. “He stated that he shot all the rounds in the gun,” Bittle added. Detectives later recovered 18 spent shell casings from a .40-caliber firearm at the scene, as per KAIT.
The affidavit noted that Austin Cannon suffered multiple gunshot wounds from his torso to his neck. “From the scene, it was determined that Austin Cannon was shot while standing on the back porch,” the report stated. “Once Austin was down on the floor, he was shot several more times.”
A woman who witnessed the incident told investigators that Dustin had been angry with Austin “for leaving his family and not working.” She also said Dustin mentioned that their mother was planning to remove Austin from her will. The witness described Austin as “a very violent person,” but said she did not hear him threaten his brother before the shooting.
Investigators found text messages between the two men that showed rising tension before the shooting. Deputies later recovered Austin’s phone and discovered several profanity-laced messages from Dustin. “A few minutes after the [last] message was sent, Austin arrived at Dustin’s residence and the shooting occurred,” Bittle said.
Dustin Cannon is being held in the Cleburne County Detention Center on a $1 million bond while awaiting his next court appearance. According to Bald Knob School District Superintendent Dr. Jed Davis, Cannon was employed as a biology and science teacher at the time of his arrest.