EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A man was shot and killed during a SWAT team standoff in southern Indiana Monday.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Evansville Police Department held a joint press conference with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department discussing the fatal shooting of Gary Youngblood Jr., 37, who barricaded himself inside of a home on Missouri Street for several hours Monday.
The standoff began around 11 o’clock that morning. Evansville Police tracked down Youngblood, who was wanted on several drug charges and misdemeanors. He showed a gun and threatened the officers, says Sheriff Noah Robinson of Vanderburgh County.
Youngblood hid inside of a home with several people inside. All were able to leave safely, including one woman who left the home around 1 o’clock Monday afternoon. She told police Youngblood was all alone, and that’s when the officers mobilized.
Several armored trucks were called in, as well as Indiana State Police.
Sergeant Anna Gray, Public Info Officer with Evansville Police says Youngblood was on Facebook Live at one point and said that he turned on the gas inside the home. Police were worried that he might try to blow up the home, but the gas was turned off.
Police tried several rounds of tear gas to get him out, but it never worked. By Monday night, police drones spotted Youngblood with a gun, and several officers moved in. They tried to close in on Youngblood, who police say put the gun in his mouth at one point. A shot was fired by police, and Youngblood ran away.
One officer outside spotted Youngblood jumping out of a second floor window and landing on a balcony. That’s when he was shot twice, says Sgt. Gray.
Medics were already on scene and tried to save his life, but it didn’t work. Gary Youngblood died of his injuries.
The officers involved in the shooting were placed off-duty for three days, as is standard by police policy.
