A 65-year-old woman’s home was rendered unlivable after an Arkansas State Police SWAT team tore it apart looking for a murder suspect who wasn’t there. She’s now scrounging for shelter and seeking compensation from the state to repair it. Grandester Johnson-El says she got word in the early afternoon of April 14 that police were surrounding her house in Wynne, Arkansas, while she was at work. She rushed home to learn that state troopers were looking for Edward Lampkin, Jr., 36, a suspect in the shooting death of Javon Beal, 34, which took place at an apartment complex about a mile away earlier that day. Wynne, Arkansas, resident Grandester Johnson-El in front of her house that was damaged during a state police SWAT team raid on April 14, 2026. (Photo: KAIT video screenshot) Lampkin had dated Johnson-El’s niece for about nine years, and had been to her house before, but she told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that she didn’t know him and didn’t like him. She’d told her niece that she “could do better” than Lampkin. ‘You’re Going to Lose Your Badge’: A Michigan City Kept an Abusive Cop on the Force Because He Made Them Rich — Until His Victims Finally Made Them Pay “Somebody said that they seen him come through here, cut across the yard, could have went anywhere,” Johnson-El told KAIT. Police Refused to Check the House Before Calling in SWAT She doubted he was still around and offered to go into the house and look for him herself, but police, who had guns drawn and were using a bullhorn to call for Lampkin to come out with his hands up, told her to stay back. They said they were waiting for a SWAT team from Little Rock to arrive. Johnson-El, whose original house on the property she has owned since the 1990s had been destroyed by a deadly tornado in 2023, had moved into a new house built on her lot that was funded by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) just a year ago. She was anxious to protect her new home, but police told her to leave the area for the duration. “If they would have just came on and checked instead of posting with all them guns for decoration, I have two doors and the doors were unlocked,” Johnson-El said, reported NewsNationNow/WREG. “All they had to do was turn the knob, but they didn’t turn the knob.” What turned out to be a one-sided standoff lasted for several hours, until the SWAT team arrived at 8:30 p.m and raided the house. SWAT Team Left the Home Destroyed and Filled With Tear Gas Officers fired at least 45 less-lethal grenades containing pepper spray and tear gas and capable of penetrating walls and windows into her home, attempting to drive out the suspect. Then they tore through the house, turning over furniture and damaging every room. Outside walls and windows were smashed and left with gaping holes, including one that collapsed onto a bed. Doors were torn off hinges. Tear gas canisters were embedded in the drywall in the ceiling, which was blackened with smoke damage. Her clothes and bedding were ruined. “They done demolished my home,” said Johnson-El, who returned to find noxious fumes still lingering in her bedroom and debris piled up in every room.The suspect was not in the house and was arrested elsewhere two days later. State police later said they believed Lampkin was in the house at some point that day. The SWAT officers left a sheet of paper on her front door that advised her how to deal with the chemical irritant agents released in her home, including that she should ventilate the entire house, change her air filter, wash all of her clothing and linens, and destroy any exposed food. Michigan Groom Stormed Off During a Fight On His Wedding Night — Then Came Back and Ran Over His Best Man While His Bride Tried to Help Cover It Up State Police Call the Damage ‘Unfortunate, But Not Uncommon’ They also left contact information for the Arkansas Claims Commission, which adjudicates claims made against the state and its agencies, Arkansas State Police spokeswoman Cindy Murphy later said in a statement. “Property damage that occurs during SWAT operations is unfortunate, but not uncommon,” Murphy said, noting that the ASP SWAT team “prioritizes public and officer safety and is trained to emphasize methodical, careful entry techniques to minimize danger to officers.” She said ASP SWAT is recognized by the Department of Homeland Security as a Level 1 team, its most elite designation. “But they didn’t listen,” Johnson-El said. “All of this could have been prevented. I’m fixin’ to retire, to what now? Cause I’m going to be stressed out.” Johnson, who stayed in a motel for the first several days after the raid, last week moved into a house that a “nice man” offered to her rent-free for two months while she works on getting her home repaired, the Democrat-Gazette reported. She said she is expecting more paperwork from the Arkansas Claims Commission.A GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a new mattress, furniture, clothing and household goods has so far brought in more than $3,600 in donations. An update said she also needs to pay for living expenses as she takes time off her job at the local housing authority due to a medical condition, as a planned surgery has been postponed until she has a stable place to recover. Residents Slam Arkansas Police Over the Raid People have asked her how she’s doing, she said. “I say my brain is scrambled like eggs,” Johnson-El explained. “I’m starting all over again, just like the tornado. But that’s OK, I have a place to lay my head.” Local residents who commented online were mostly sympathetic with Johnson-El’s predicament and indignant at state police handling of the damage to her home. “As someone who respects police and the hard jobs they do, I am absolutely appalled at Arkansas State Police and SWAT over this,” wrote Tatum Owens Nethercutt on Facebook. “You made the mess. You fix it. This lady was innocent and doesn’t deserve this. People have a hard time trusting officers and crap like this is why. “There is absolutely no reason for this,” replied Angela May Drum Taylor. “I can understand if the person being looked for was actually in the home and putting up a fight. She said the door was unlocked to go in. You wasted my tax dollars on this.” Amber Henson noted that filing a claim with the Arkansas Claims Commission is “essentially a lawsuit against the state” and requires “the skill of an attorney. ….The state gets to decide if they were in the wrong or not. … And if they magically decide they WILL pay her, it’ll be months and months from now before she sees a dime.”Jake Ziegler had another intervention in mind: “Need to go full Afro man on these cops here in Arkansas.” ‘All They Had to Do Was Turn the Knob’: Arkansas SWAT Team Leaves Gaping Holes in Walls and Extensive Damage to Freshly Built Home of Elderly Tornado Victim While Hunting Suspect ...read more read less