DA report clears 2 Wichita police officers in fatal shooting
A report from Sedgwick County district attorney Marc Bennett says 2 Wichita police officers were justified in using deadly force against a woman who approached them with a knife during a domestic disturbance call last summer. 44-year-old Karen Jackson was carrying a butcher knife when officers went to a home on July 10th, 2012 in the 700 block of North Spruce. The DA's report said Jackson began stabbing herself with the knife, and she refused commanded to drop the knife as she turned toward officers.
The report said Jackson's husband had obtained a Protection From Abuse order against her, and that Jackson had turned up at his home. As officers approached the home on Spruce, Karen Jackson was holding a can of beer in one hand, a red handled lighter in the other, and she had a large butcher knife pressed against her body with her forearm. The report stated that Jackson threw the can to the ground, grabbed the knife and yelled "shoot me" several times.
The report said the use of deadly force by the officers was lawful and justified, stating that the officers had ordered her to drop the knife but she continued to come toward them, and the officers both fired to stop the threat posed by her advance toward them.
Wichita police chief Norman Williams said in a written statement that since the DA's office has concluded its investigation, the Wichita Police Department will review the shooting from the administrative side. Williams said the Professional Standards Bureau will look at all aspects of the shooting to make sure that policies and regulations were followed.
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