WYOMING, Iowa (AP) - A prosecutor announced Wednesday that a deputy was justified in shooting and wounding a man who fired into an eastern Iowa home and waived a firearm at law enforcement.
The Jones County Attorney’s Office said in a news release that the determination was reached after an investigator interviewed witnesses about the Sept. 21 shooting of 51-year-old James Orval Bartram and reviewed body camera and dashcam video.
The release said officers responded after a woman inside the home that came under fire called 911. She told dispatchers that Bartram she he was going to either shoot law enforcement or himself. She said he was drinking and may also be “doing something else” because had had “never acted like this” before.
The release said multiple officers attempted to convince Bartram to put a gun down, but that he told them to shoot him. He then approached officers with a gun held under his chin. Officers heard the hammer of the pistol fall, but the weapon didn’t discharge. The investigation suggested pocket lint may have stopped it from firing.
One officer then fired a beanbag round at Bartram, who continued to argue with officers, the release said. After Bartram waived his gun at police, one deputy fired, hitting Bartram in the upper torso.
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