Prosecutor: Police chief acted properly in fatal shooting
SALEM, Ind. (AP) — A prosecutor says a southern Indiana police chief acted properly when he fatally shot a man.
Washington County Prosecutor Dustin Houchin said Tuesday that Salem Police Chief Joey Wheeler’s actions July 3 were reasonable when he shot and killed 53-year-old Mark A. Naugle of Scottsburg at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Indiana State Police says officers were responding to a call about a suspicious person when they encountered a man brandishing a hammer. Police say the man ignored commands to drop the hammer and stop approaching and was shot.
Houchin said Wheeler acted in accordance with his training and in compliance with Salem police standard operating procedures on using deadly force.