DA rules police were justified in shooting armed trucker suspected of murder

The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office has ruled that police officers were justified in their shooting of a truck driver accused of murder in December. 

The shooting happened on the morning of December 10th in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, but the recent DA decision was reached this month. 

According to ABC 27, 29-year-old Santiago Gutierrez was wanted as a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old several days before. Officers found him driving a semi truck in the area of Penbrook and Harrisburg and attempted to block him from leaving, but Gutierrez then reversed through the blockade of police vehicles, and even tried to run over several officers. 

Officers began to fire at Gutierrez, and Gutierrez pulled out a handgun and pointed it out of the window in response. He then dropped his gun, and was hit by a police officer’s bullet while attempting to pick it back up. 

Since then, the incident has been under investigation, but the DA has ruled that police were justified in the killing of the truck driver. Not only did the suspect not comply with police commands, but the weapon he brandished during the incident matched the weapon used to murder the victim several days before. 

“Each officer who fired did so under the belief that Gutierrez posed an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to themselves, other officers, or to the public if allowed to escape,” the DA’s office said. “The totality of the evidence in this case supports the reasonableness of the officer’s belief that deadly force was justified.”