Brown County prosecutor to charge man in April ‘suicide by cop’

NASHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — An unidentified man will face criminal charges after being shot in April during a standoff with an unidentified police deputy, according to Brown County Prosecutor Theodore F. Adams.

The prosecutor made the announcement in a news release shared Wednesday by Indiana State Police, which investigated the incident. State police have previously shared that an officer fired at least one shot from their department-issued handgun and hit the man.

Officers from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Nashville Police Department went to a home after a call about a suicidal man about 8:30 p.m. April 20 on Mount Liberty Road. That’s about 6 miles southeast of Nashville.

The first deputy arrived about 8:32 p.m. April 20, the prosecutor says in a news release. The man was found in a backyard with a holstered revolver in plain view; at one point, the man told the deputy he was “close enough.”

During the deputy’s encounter with what the prosecutor called “the suicidal male,” the man pointed his revolver at the deputy and “innocent bystanders.” When the man pointed the revolver at the deputy a second time, the deputy fired his handgun three times, striking the man twice.

The man was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Police later learned the man’s Ruger .357 magnum revolver was unloaded.

Witnesses and the deputy’s bodycam recorded the entire incident. The prosecutor says the bodycam footage will not be released once the criminal case against the man is resolved.

“The Brown County Prosecutor’s Office and the Indiana State Police has had the luxury of watching and re-watching the deputy’s bodycam innumerable times,” the prosecutor’s news release says. “The deputy had mere seconds to make drastic decisions in an exceptionally stressful, life-or-death situation. The entire episode, from the time the suicidal male drew his revolver to the time the deputy fired the first shot was a mere 14 seconds. It is clear to the Brown County Prosecutor’s Office that the suicidal male’s intent and actions were to commit suicide by cop.”

Mental health resources

• Be Well Indiana
• Indiana Suicide Prevention
• Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
• More resources

April 21 coverage: ISP investigating after man shot by law enforcement in Brown County

NASHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — State police are investigating an officer-involved shooting.

Indiana State Police say the shooting happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday in rural Brown County.

According to investigators, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Nashville Police Department were called to a residence due to a suicidal man.

Deputies say when the man pointed a gun, one of the responding law enforcement officers fired at least one shot, striking the man.

ISP has not said if the shot was fired by a Brown County Sheriff’s Office deputy or a Nashville Police Department officer.

ISP says the man was flown to Indianapolis with “potentially life-threatening injuries.” His name has not been released.

The name of the officer or deputy who fired the shot has not been released.

ISP will send the case to the Brown County prosecutor when the investigation is complete.