Ripley County, IN — Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel submitted his findings in court on Wednesday, regarding the officer-involved shooting in Batesville from November of 2020. Hertel stated that the State has found that the officers acted “within reason to their right to self-defense and used their legal authority to use deadly force” on Joshua Evans, 32, of Batesville.
That November morning, two officers with the Batesville Police Department responded to a call on Bridlewood Trace, in Batesville, from Evan’s wife that he was acting erratically due to a recent diagnosis of Covid-19, had a knife, and went to the garage where he stored his firearms. When the officers failed at attempts to make contact with Evans, they attempted to open the garage and Evans fire one of his guns at them, striking one of the officers with shrapnel.
Officers from multiple agencies continued to try to communicate with Evans to de-escalate the situation. After two hours, Evans responded and stated that officers would have to come in and shoot him. Evans continued to fire multiple gunshots while on the phone, aware that his home was surrounded by law enforcement. When Evans finally left the garage, he raised a gun and pointed it at an Indiana State Police Trooper. Three officers with the Indiana State Police Emergency Response team and a certified sniper from the Greensburg Police Department then fired at Evans. Evans was given immediate medical treatment and sent to Margaret Mary Health where he was pronounced deceased.
