SALEM, Ind. (WDRB) -- Police in Salem, Indiana shot and killed a man after he threatened police officers with a hammer on Wednesday afternoon, according to investigators.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls said police were called to the Washington County Fairgrounds just before 2 p.m. on July 3 after someone reported a suspicious person walking on the property. When two officers arrived, they spotted a man standing in a creek that borders the property.
Police say that man, identified as 53-year-old Mark Naugle from Scottsburg, approached officers carrying a hammer. After repeatedly ordering Naugle to stop and drop the hammer, at least one officer opened fire, killing Naugle.
"They requested several times ordering to drop the hammer and to stop approaching," Huls said. "He didn’t. He failed to obey those commands. Because he continued toward the officers with the weapon in his hand, they were forced to fire their weapons, unfortunately and tragically striking the subject and killing him."
Investigators with Indiana State Police say they don't believe Salem Police officers have body cameras.
"I honestly think they could have wounded the individual, not like kill the individual," Neighbor Dustin Goss said. "I mean, if it was two officers and the guy had a hammer or whatever he had, come on, it's not a gun."
Goss says he knew Naugle because Salem is a 'tight-knit' community. He says Naugle had a long history with the law, but he was 'nice.'
"I personally knew the guy and he was -- he was a carpenter, he was a good guy," Goss said.
The two officers involved, who have not yet been identified, will be on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
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