No shots fired by officers

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office issued a release on June 18 about a pursuit that occurred on June 14.

On June 14 at about 3:18 p.m., the Sac County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a vehicle pursuit in Crawford County that was heading north toward Ida and Sac County. The suspect vehicle was identified as a Lincoln Navigator, which had been reported stolen out of Woodbury County earlier that morning. Information had previously been shared by Woodbury County that the suspect of the stolen vehicle was Jason Scott French, of Manilla. French was wanted on a felony warrant out of South Dakota. It was reported to Woodbury County that French had a handgun on him and had made threats to harm officers.

As Crawford County terminated the pursuit, an Ida County deputy located the suspect vehicle in southeastern Ida County and pursued the vehicle into southwestern Sac County. Pursuit of the vehicle continued northbound where attempts to stop the vehicle using stop sticks were unsuccessful.

Sac County deputies and the Iowa State Patrol maintained the pursuit to the area of Jackson Avenue and 290th Street. The suspect vehicle continued into a field and came to rest in a ditch after impacting a fence. French was observed exiting the vehicle with a handgun. Attempts were initially made to communicate with French using a PA system.

Iowa State Patrol aircraft and Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office drones were used to make overhead observations of French’s movements. Crisis negotiators and tactical teams from Storm Lake/Buena Vista County were dispatched to the scene to assist. 

After approximately two hours, a gunshot was heard by law enforcement. Drone footage confirmed that French was no longer moving. Members of several law enforcement agencies approached French, who was deceased with a handgun located nearby on the ground. No shots were fired by law enforcement. Preliminary autopsy results verify a contact gunshot wound to the head.

Agencies that responded to the incident are the Sac, Ida and Buena Vista county sheriff’s offices; Iowa State Patrol; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; police departments from Sac City, Lake View and Storm Lake; Odebolt Fire Department; and Sac County EMS.

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