Poseyville resident dies as result of officer involved shooting

By Dave Pearce

The name of a Posey County man who lost his life during a traffic stop in Posey County this week has been released.

Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle says the man has been identified as Blake Fleming, 40, of Poseyville. Ringle says Fleming was shot during a traffic stop after he displayed a firearm. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Indiana State Police troopers are continuing their investigation of the shooting which took place near the intersection of State Road 69 north of Copperline Road in Mount Vernon, Ind., involving two deputies with the Posey County Sheriff’s Office.

The Posey County Sheriff’s Office had received information that a male they were searching for was a passenger in a semitruck that was traveling on State Road 69. The male had two active felony warrants out of Posey County.

“I can tell you that law enforcement did receive some information about the whereabouts of the individual so we had a very good idea where he was,” Ringle said in a Monday interview. “That’s why we were able to locate him so quickly. Once Trooper (Zach) Fulton received that information, it was a very short period of time before he was able to spot that vehicle.”

According to information from Ringle, at 2:21 p.m. Thursday, an Indiana State Police trooper spotted the semitruck on State Road 69 and continued to follow it until two Posey County deputies arrived to assist.

“Once he spotted the vehicle, he had made contact with the sheriff’s department,” Ringle said. “He wanted to have another deputy assist him on that traffic stop. Keep in mind that any time we approach or try to arrest a person who has a felony warrant, (in this case there were two), we want to have some back-up, another unit to assess. He basically followed that vehicle until two deputies from the Posey County Sheriff’s Office got behind Trooper Fulton and help him make that traffic stop. I believe both of the warrants were out of Posey County.”

The officers initiated the high-risk traffic stop on State Road 69 north of Copperline Road of a local trucking firm. The driver of the semitruck followed orders and exited the vehicle.

“The driver of the vehicle did everything that was asked of her,” Ringle said.

The passenger and the driver were acquaintances of each other. The male passenger exited the semitruck while pointing a handgun to his head.

Information gathered at the scene indicated the passenger was suicidal. “There were a lot of things going on,” Ringle said. “Under circumstances like those officers faced, things change rapidly. At some point, the two deputies opened fire and they struck the suspect at least once. They rendered aid immediately and sent for an ambulance but the suspect died at the scene.”

Identities of the deputies involved was expected to be released early in the week but Ringle indicated that with weather conditions over the weekend, the release was not as quick as had been expected. Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham indicated that the names would not be released until the internal investigation at his office had been completed.

“One thing that is frustrating is that in today’s world, people do not hesitate to get on social media and voice their concerns or their opinions on something they have very little information about,” Ringle said of the situation. “One thing they need to understand is that when law enforcement is investigating an officer-involved shooting, we cannot release any information because there is an investigation that takes place. Eventually, more information will be released. It was disheartening to read some of the comments regarding the officers who were on the scene. It is very important that people wait and not be so judgmental. Every year, police officers throughout the United States are killed by individuals who are suicidal. A person who is suicidal, in a matter of a split second, can decide to shoot someone else before they take their own life. Or it is very possible that an individual who is suicidal doesn’t want to harm themselves but they would rather have a police officer do it for them.”

Body camera footage does exist but is considered evidence in the investigation and it will not be released to the public. For that information to be released, it would have to be requested through the Indiana State Police Public Records section. It would never be released before the case is judicated.