A wanted felon hit a police car, then waved a machete and repeatedly shot at officers before he himself was shot and killed Friday.
The coroner identified the man as Peter Russell, 43, who had addresses listed in both Evansville and Princeton. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding says officers were familiar with him.
“This person was a known felon, a violent felon,” said Wedding. “(He was) known to carry a weapon.”
Police say members of a joint drug task force spotted Russell driving a sedan on Stringtown Road about 1:00 p.m. When they attempted to serve a federal warrant, they say Russell sped off, hitting a sheriff’s car, and then a telephone pole at Stringtown and Reis.
A woman passenger was removed from the car. Authorities say that’s when Russell first waved a machete before picking up a gun and firing in their direction several times.
Officers returned fire, killing the suspect.
The task force was composed of officers from Evansville Police, Sheriff’s deputies, and D-E-A officers. E-P-D officers were undercover, so they were not wearing body cams. There may be body cam footage available from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department.
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