Prosecutor: Officers Justified in Returning Fire in July 4th Standoff
By: Sydney Benter
Updated: August 16, 2012
The Greene County prosecutor finds that police were justified in returning fire during a deadly 4th of July standoff.
According to the Greene County Daily World, Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw says that each officer that fired at Michael Lane of Owensburg were justified in doing so to protect themselves and others at the scene.
Lane died in the July 4th shootout that left two officers injured.
The prosecutor's office says lane fired four times at officers responding to a domestic violence complaint. According to his report, Lane had ingested a large amount of Xanax the night of July 3. When he woke up on the 4th, he got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend and his mother. Both the mother and an unidentified woman escaped the home safely.
If Lane had survived, the prosecutor says he would have been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and battery.
