Evansville police say the shooting following a traffic accident Monday evening was justified. The officer's name has not been released yet.
In the early evening twilight Monday, an eyewitness says the suspect, 45 year old Terry Wayne Chanley of Wadesville, was driving eastbound on Morgan Avenue at Theater Drive.
An eyewitness said Chanley slammed on his brakes for no apparent reason. The vehicle went off the road and crashed into a pole.
Three people stopped to help Chanley. Police were called.
As the responding officer approached Chanley’s vehicle, Chanley pulled what turned out to be a claw hammer from under the front seat and moved toward the officer. Evansville police captain Andy Chandler said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon, "This wasn't someone who was retreating. This was someone who was advancing on the officer with a hammer."
The officer fired once. Chanley didn’t stop. The officer fired again. Chanley kept coming. In all, four shots were fired before Chanley was killed. The three people who had stopped to help saw it happen. Chandler said their statements, body cam video and the physical evidence are compelling.
"All those things taken together as a whole, led us to conclude that our officer acted appropriately, legally and justifiably."
Police say body cam video will be released Wednesday. The officer who shot Chanley has been put on administrative leave. He’s a ten year veteran, but his name is not being released yet.