UPDATE: Decatur Police Chief clears officers who killed armed robbery suspect to return to full duty

Danny Connolly
·2 min read
2

1:00 P.M. UPDATE: Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel said he’s decided Officer Roberts and Officer Brummitt were both “legally justified in their use of deadly force”.

“Both officers were faced with a situation where they feared for their lives,” Brandel said in a statement. “They responded in a way to protect themselves and each other so they could go home to their families. We never want an outcome where there is a loss of life and will take reasonable actions to avoid that outcome. But unfortunately, sometimes we are forced into that position. And how an officer reacts may determine whether or not they are included in that loss of life. As the Chief of Police, I always expect our officers to defend themselves when appropriate. And I will always defend our officers when they act in accordance with law, policy and training.”

Brandel also said he has conducted his internal review on the incident and both officers have been cleared for full duty, as they were in compliance with DPD policies.

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The Macon County State’s Attorney has determined the Decatur police officers involved in a shooting last month did not violate any laws.

Decatur Police were alerted to 38-year-old Rocky Dupin as an armed robbery suspect last month. Police found Dupin later that afternoon, and Officer Dawson Roberts and Officer Tanner Brummitt fired at 38-year-old Rocky Dupin last month after Dupin pulled a BB gun that was designed to look like a firearm out of his coat.

Decatur Police release body-camera video of officer-involved shooting

In a statement released Monday morning, Macon County State’s Attorney Scott Rueter said the officer’s actions were “unfortunately a necessary response”, citing that officers could not tell if the gun was real or not. Rueter came to that conclusion after reviewing the body camera footage and reading the reports of the officers involved and ISP’s investigation on the shooting submitted to his office.

“Although the death of Mr. Dupin is regrettable, the officers’ response to his actions is not in violation of law,” Macon County State’s Attorney Scott Rueter said.

This is a developing story that will continue to be updated.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.