Officers cleared in deadly Ottumwa shootout
Prosecutor clears officers in fatal Ottumwa gunbattle.
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A prosecutor has cleared officers involved in a fatal Ottumwa gunbattle.
A Fairfield man was killed and two Ottumwa men were charged with attempted murder and other crimes after the shootout following an armed robbery Aug. 3.
Wapello County Attorney Gary Oldenburger said in a news release Saturday that the officers' actions were "absolutely necessary to eliminate the threat the subjects posed to them, their fellow officers, students and staff in the school, and residents in the surrounding neighborhood."
Court documents say the three men forced their way into an Ottumwa home and stole items. A man outside home was shot and then hospitalized.
The three armed men fled and were intercepted by Ottumwa officers near Liberty Elementary School, where the shootout occurred. No officer was injured.
