Paragould Defendant Accused of Pointing Gun at Victims at Greene County Tech Junior High

PARAGOULD, Ark. — A Paragould defendant was arrested after police said he pointed a firearm at two victims during a disturbance Wednesday evening at Greene County Tech Junior High.

According to a probable cause affidavit from the Paragould Police Department, officers responded around 7 p.m. on April 8, 2026, to the school regarding a disturbance involving a firearm.

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A witness told police the firearm had been placed inside a yellow Corvette at the scene.

Police said they arrived and made contact with Austin Ray Hall, 23, of Paragould, a potential co-defendant and a witness.

According to the affidavit, the witness reported Hall pointed a firearm at the victims before placing it back inside the Corvette. Police said video footage corroborated the incident.

Hall and the co-defendant were detained and taken to the police station for investigation, according to the affidavit. During an inventory of the vehicle, officers found a loaded firearm along with three magazines.

Police interviewed two alleged victims, who both reported that Hall pointed a firearm at them, according to the affidavit. Investigators said Hall later admitted under Miranda to pointing the firearm at the victims.

According to police, Hall is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. The affidavit states Hall was previously convicted in November 2025 of possession of a firearm by certain persons.

Hall was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault, each a Class D felony, one count of possession of a firearm by certain persons, a Class B felony, and one count of handgun possession on school property, a Class D felony.

Bail was set at $100,000.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

FACTS CONSTITUTING REASONABLE CAUSE

On the 8th day of April 2026 around 7:00 PM, police responded to the Greene County Tech Jr. High School regarding a disturbance involving a firearm. A witness reported the firearm had since been placed inside a yellow Corvette on scene.

Police arrived on scene and made contact with potential defendant Austin Hall, a potential co-defendant, and a witness.

The witness reported Hall had pointed a firearm at the victims and placed the firearm back into the Corvette. This was corroborated by video footage which captured the incident as it took place. Austin Hall and a co-defendant that was present in the Corvette were detained and transported to the police station for investigation. A custodial inventory of the vehicle yielded a loaded firearm accompanied by 3 magazines.

Two victims were interviewed who both reported that Austin Hall pointed a firearm at them. Hall was interviewed under Miranda and admitted to pointing his firearm at the victims.

Hall is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was previously convicted of possession of a firearm by certain persons in November 2025, and his possession of the firearm during this incident involved the commission of another crime which constitutes the B felony offense.

I hereby certify that the above are facts that were found to exist during my investigation and would establish probable cause for arrest.

Detective Corporal Johnathon Porter PD81