CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind.–The state trooper who shot and killed Glenn Rightsell, 56, of Linden, Friday near Crawfordsville, has no disciplinary record. Sgt. Kim Riley, spokesperson for Indiana State Police, Lafayette post, said trooper Daniel Organ is on administrative leave.
He’s been with the state police since October 2017. Riley said he could not comment further on the investigation.
Some friends and family or Rightsell have said they do not believe he would’ve gone for his gun, which is what the trooper said happened.
While Riley said the state police will not speak to the specifics of an ongoing investigation, which is a longstanding policy in conjunction with requests from prosecutors, they did give an overview of what actions are taken as part of a comprehensive officer involved police action resulting in the death of, or serious bodily injury to, another person.
Such points may include, but are not limited to:
- Detectives from the local state police post respond to the scene for the initial investigation which includes obtaining statements from all persons at the scene, before, during and immediately after an event that is being investigated
- Extensive and thorough interviews of all officers involved, which many times includes officers from other police agencies
- Extensive and thorough interviews are also conducted with civilian witnesses or participants as are necessary dependent upon the specific investigation
- Documentation of the scene that may include photographs, videos, sketches or other methods of documentation
- Collection of evidence by crime scene investigators
- Autopsy, toxicology and forensic reports are included, when applicable, and may take several months before being completed
- An internal peer review is conducted by commanders and detectives who are not part of the initial investigation
- Submission of the investigation to the local prosecuting attorney for review and/or other action as requested
- Once the prosecuting attorney has rendered a decision an administrative Police Action Review Board is convened
- A separate internal investigation will occur when recommended by the Police Action Review Board
In virtually every significant investigation conducted by law enforcement, whether it involves state police personnel, another police agency, or an investigation of a crime against a citizen, the information initially released often changes as the investigation evolves, said Riley. “It is for this reason that step-by-step updates do not occur over the course of an active investigation.”
The Montgomery County prosecutor will look at the evidence and determine if charges are warranted.
PHOTO: WISH TV
