PUTNAMVILLE -
Police in Putnam County shot and killed a suspect who they say charged at officers with knives. Dead is William E. Williams, 38, of rural Reelsville.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts tells Eyewitness News officers were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance at a residence on South CR 300 West south of West CR 1050 South in Putnam County around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
When officers arrived, Williams was locked in a bathroom. When he came out, he ran at officers with two knives. Two officers shot Williams with stun guns, but they were not effective in stopping him.
After being struck by the "tasers," Williams continued to aggressively advance on the officers with a large knife in each hand and was able to force one of the officers to the ground. It was then, Watts says, multiple officers fired their weapons, striking and killing him.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy determined his cause of death as two gunshots to the torso and that Williams sustained four gunshot wounds in the incident.
In a release Monday, Watts said five officers responded to the scene, including an ISP trooper, two conservation officers, a deputy sergeant with the Putnam County Sheriff's Department and a Cloverdale police officer.
Thomas has been placed on administrative leave, according to ISP policy involving such incidents.
"All indications are that the involved officers acted appropriately based on the life threatening circumstances they were faced with while responding to the domestic disturbance," Watts wrote.
No officers were reported to be harmed at the scene.
A total of five officers from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Cloverdale Police Department, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Indiana State Police responded to the rural one level home.
