Jury Awards Don Cook $900K in Excessive Force Case
A federal jury found Arkansas State Police liable after a trooper shot Cook in the face with a beanbag round during a 2020 Capitol protest.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Criminal Justice
A federal jury awarded Don Cook approximately $900,000 in his excessive force lawsuit against the Arkansas State Police. The verdict follows a 2020 incident in which Trooper Ryan Wingo shot Cook in the face with a beanbag round at the Arkansas Capitol.
Why it matters
The shooting shattered Cook's jaw and knocked out teeth, and Cook was later arrested while all charges against him have since been dropped. The verdict addresses how Arkansas law enforcement responded to protesters during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.
A federal jury returned a roughly $900,000 verdict in Cook's favor in the early hours of Saturday, November 7, 2026. All criminal charges against Cook have been dropped, and he has since relocated out of state.
The players
Don Cook
Cook is a protester who was shot by an Arkansas State Trooper during a 2020 demonstration at the state Capitol and later sued the state police for excessive force.
Arkansas State Police
The Arkansas State Police is the statewide law enforcement agency whose trooper shot Cook and whose officers arrested him, and it was found liable in the civil lawsuit.
Ryan Wingo
Wingo is the Arkansas State Trooper who fired the beanbag round that struck Cook in the face during the June 2020 Capitol protest.
The details
Trooper Ryan Wingo shot Cook in the face with a beanbag full of lead pellets on June 1, 2020, while Cook was protesting at the Arkansas Capitol. Cook received a titanium jaw, prosthetic teeth and permanent hearing damage, and two troopers later arrested him at his home in July 2021.
Timeline
June 1, 2020: Trooper Wingo shot Cook during the Capitol protest.
July 23, 2021: Troopers arrested Cook at his home.
October 2025: Cook's first federal trial ended in a hung jury.
November 7, 2026: Jury returned the roughly $900,000 verdict for Cook.
Legal Context
The verdict arrives in the wake of the nationwide 2020 protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, when many police use-of-force cases against demonstrators moved through civil courts. Cook's case shows how civil juries are now weighing protest-era claims years after the initial incidents.
The verdict may influence how Arkansas residents who protest at the state Capitol are treated by state troopers, and it sets a precedent for civil claims against the state police. Residents who were injured by police projectiles in past demonstrations may consider whether similar civil remedies are available to them.
The takeaway
Civil juries can hold law enforcement accountable for force used against protesters even when criminal charges against the victim are later dropped. Protesters facing similar injuries should be aware that civil claims may remain open after criminal cases end.
Further reading
For related coverage of how courts handle these disputes, see Criminal Justice in Arkansas.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Arkansas Times.
