This from 21alivenews.com: NORTH MANCHESTER, IN (WPTA) – A police-action shooting in North Manchester last month was found to be justified, the Wabash County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday.
Jacob Slocum was involved in an hours-long standoff on Dec. 3 that stemmed from an alleged theft with a gun at a Meijer in Fort Wayne, court records show. After walking out of the store with a speaker he scanned as a pencil box, Slocum allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at employees attempting to stop him from leaving the Lima Road store.
Members of the Indiana State Police, the Fort Wayne Police Department and the North Manchester Police Department worked together to locate Slocum at a trailer in North Manchester. ISP SWAT members worked to find the suspect, who was armed with a gun, in the trailer but Slocum allegedly fired at officers.
Officers returned fire and struck Slocum.
Slocum was transported by helicopter to a hospital with serious injuries.
His current condition is unknown, but he is listed as wanted in online court records.
In connection with the alleged robbery, Slocum has been charged with several felonies, including:
- Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon;
- Intimidation;
- Pointing a firearm at another;
- Resisting law enforcement by drawing a weapon;
- Criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon; and
- Theft
The Wabash County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed police reports, witness statements and footage of the incident, along with other pieces of evidence, and made its determination in the case.
“After a thorough review of this case, it is clear that officers with the Indiana State Police SWAT Team were justified in using deadly force as it is reasonable to believe that the force was necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to themselves or the other officers in the immediate area,” the release states.
