French Lick: This afternoon at approximately 3:50 P.M., an Indiana State Police Trooper and an officer with the West Baden Police Department responded to a residence on West Ohio Street in French Lick, for a report of a physical domestic situation. Officers were informed that a male was strangling his wife. Officers arrived at the residence and attempted to speak with the male, who had fled from the house to a garage behind the residence. Officers attempted to speak with the male, who at that time would not converse with officers. The male picked up a large metal pipe from a pile of scrap materials in the garage, and begin approaching officers. Numerous commands to drop the pipe were given to the male; however, he failed to comply with their order. An officer fired his Taser at the male, but the device was ineffective. The male stepped directly up to the officer with the metal pipe, pulling the pipe back in a motion to strike the officer in the head with it. At that point, officers fired their handguns at the male, striking him.
The male was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Orange County Coroner’s Office. There is no other threat to public safety from this situation at this time. Investigators are speaking with witnesses while crime scene technicians document and process the scene.
Names of those involved will be released at a later time.
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HENSLEY
Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
