A Baxter County man has been arrested following a shooting early Thursday morning that left another man hospitalized. Authorities identified the suspect as 32-year-old Nathan Garret Foster of rural Gassville. The victim, a 31-year-old man also from rural Gassville, was shot twice and remains in stable condition, according to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred at a residence on Baxter County Road 712, located just north of Tucker Cemetery Road. The sheriff’s office said the initial call for help came in at 2:12 a.m., with the first deputy arriving on scene two minutes later. The deputy was flagged down and directed to the victim, who was found lying on the ground and bleeding heavily.
According to the incident report, the victim had sustained a wound under his right armpit and another through his torso, with an entry and exit wound just below his sternum. The responding deputy applied a tourniquet to an arm injury and placed pressure on the chest wound to control the bleeding. An officer from the Gassville Police Department assisted in lifesaving measures until emergency medical personnel arrived.
The victim told deputies that Foster had shot him during a dispute over vehicle keys. He stated that when he tried to hand the keys to Foster, Foster shot him twice. The victim said he attempted to escape by running around the home, eventually collapsing on gravel in front of the house. Investigators later observed a blood trail at the scene.
A second deputy located Foster nearby and took him into custody without incident. The victim was transported to Baxter Health for initial treatment before being airlifted to another hospital, which has not been publicly identified.
Foster has been charged with first-degree battery and is being held at the Baxter County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond, according to sheriff’s office records.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting is ongoing.