CHESTERTON, Ind. (WISH) — A final update into the fatal police shooting in Chesterton has been released Monday, detailing what happened leading up to the shooting.
Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann’s said in the press release that the officers acted in self-defense during the shooting June 18. The press release said that the officers were originally responding to “an unwanted individual at the Hilton Garden Inn.”
Hotel staff said that 45-year-old Joseph Gerber stayed overnight but was not a guest at the hotel. They went on to say that Gerber “had been acting ‘distant’ and in addition had a firearm in his possession,” Germann wrote.
Police were said to have used de-escalation techniques when asking for Gerber to leave, but he got angrier as police escorted him. When asked for an ID, Gerber ran east on Gateway Boulevard.
Germann said the shooting started when Gerber pulled a gun and shot Officer Nolan Mancera. The officers returned fire, hitting Gerber multiple times. However, the investigation revealed Gerber died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Mancera was later released from the hospital and is expected to recover. The other officer involved was not injured and was later identified as Lieutenant David Virijevich.
Germann’s update reveals Gerber had “a significant amount of methamphetamine in his system.” German says that the reason Gerber fled from police was because he had an active warrant for his arrest.
“Without any question Officer Mancera and Lieutenant Virijevich acted in self-defense in that they were not only protecting themselves but also numerous members of the public,” Germann said. “Gerber was under the influence of methamphetamine, fired the first shot directly at and striking Officer Mancera, and had an active warrant for his arrest for an alleged violation of the terms of his home detention.”
Previous coverage
- Town Council calls for resignation of E911 director after police shooting
- Chesterton officer injured, suspect dead in police shooting
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