Guthrie County Attorney Mary Benton released a statement Tuesday morning regarding the officer involved shooting in Panora on Sunday, July 1st.
Benton concluded that Officer Rock Armstrong’s actions were “reasonable under all the facts and circumstance involved.” Benton referenced the “Stand Your Ground” law, which concerns self defense measures and usage of deadly force, in her opinion.
In the detailed account of the night’s unfolding, the victim, 26-year-old Joshua B. Reed of New Virginia, was reported to have stated to Armstrong and another individual from behind a locked apartment door, “I don’t care how many of you there are, I’ll take ya all on.” Benton further concluded that Armstrong took all necessary measures to try and diffuse the situation to the best of his abilities without using deadly force.
The report states that Reed further threatened Armstrong by saying “You better have your gun drawn when I open this door because I have a knife and I’m man enough to use ‘em’ so you better be man enough to pull that trigger on me…I don’t care how many people you bring …If you don’t shoot me, I’ll get to the next guy.”
Eventually, Armstrong and Reed’s friend Jordan Kohler opened the door and walked into the apartment. Reed charged at Armstrong with a large butcher knife as Armstrong was ordering Reed to put the knife down. As Reed was charging, Armstrong fired three times into Reed’s chest. Benton states the extremely narrow hallway and Reed’s speed made it “impossible for Armstrong to safely attempt any less lethal force without certainly endangering himself, all the others present, and any other innocent apartment building occupants Reed may have encountered.”
Benton further concludes that, “Officer Armstrong was not only justified in using deadly force in this situation, but he could well have been criticized had he not.”
Panora Police Chief Matt Reising tells Raccoon Valley Radio Officer Armstrong has been cleared for duty and has returned to the department with no reprimand. To view the full report, click the link below: