Prosecutor: Officer justified in Harrison County shooting
May 18—CORYDON — Harrison County Prosecutor Otto Schalk said the Palmyra police officer who shot and killed a stranded motorist Monday night was justified in his actions.
Justin Moore, 31, of Owensboro, Kentucky was shot and killed after Schalk said he fired a shotgun at the officer as well as a volunteer firefighter who had stopped to help. The firefighter, Jacob Tyler McClanahan, 24, of Corydon, was struck by a bullet and died from his injuries.
Schalk said during a Wednesday news conference outside of his office that the officer narrowly missed being struck by the shotgun bullet fired by Moore. The prosecutor said he and other authorities extensively reviewed the officer's body and dashboard camera footage, as well as camera footage captured on a private property, of the incident.
Schalk said the footage left "zero doubt" about the officer's actions.
"It clearly showed that the officer was justified in his actions and his decisions to use lethal force," Schalk said.
The reserve police officer who has been with the Palmyra Police Department for about four years has taken a voluntary leave of absence. The case is closed, according to Schalk, but the reasons why Moore killed McClanahan and shot at the officer remain unanswered.
The initial news release from Indiana State Police, which handled the investigation, stated the officer responded at about 9:30 p.m. Monday to assist a motorist in a white Ford Escape stopped in the roadway in the 12000 block of Indiana 135, south of Palmyra.
As the officer arrived, two people in a pick-up truck also stopped to help. Within seconds of exiting their cars, shots were fired, killing Moore and McClanahan.
According to Schalk, Moore's vehicle had run out of gasoline, and he had asked some residents living near the scene for help prior to the arrival of the police officer.
At some point after the officer arrived and McClanahan and another person had stopped to help, the decision was made to call a tow truck. Schalk said the officer had asked Moore if he had any weapons, to which he confirmed he was carrying a small pocket knife. Moore didn't mention he had a gun inside of the vehicle, Schalk said.
According to the prosecutor, the officer asked Moore to put the knife back inside of his vehicle.
"As soon as Mr. Moore reached inside of his vehicle, he pulled out a shotgun, immediately firing a round at the officer," Schalk said.
The second shot fired by Moore struck McClanahan, fatally wounding him.
The officer returned fire and Moore succumbed to his injuries shortly after being shot, Schalk said.
Like Schalk, ISP Sgt. Carey Huls said during the news conference that the investigation hadn't revealed a motive for Moore's actions. They also were unable to determine why Moore was in Palmyra, about 90 minutes from Owensboro, Kentucky.
The camera footage only showed that Moore seemed somewhat unhappy that police were at the scene, Schalk said, as he added the man wasn't acting aggressively until the shots were fired.
The prosecutor labeled the incident as a "senseless killing" that took the life of McClanahan.
"My heart absolutely breaks for his family. He wasn't just a firefighter, he was somebody's son," Schalk said. "He died doing what he was known to do — helping others."
