Greene County prosecutor rules officer-involved shooting in February was justified

The Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson ruled this week that Springfield police officers who shot and killed a man in February were justified. The four officers who were involved in the shooting have been released to active duty from administration leave.

According to a Springfield Police Department news release, SPD officers were dispatched to Tom Watkins Park at 1:46 p.m. on Feb. 1 to check the well-being of a man making suicidal statements. While officers connected with the man, later identified as 33-year-old Justin Barker, he told them he had a gun and then proceeded to pull a handgun from his waistband.

The on-site officers ordered the man to drop his gun, but he did not comply, according to police, and instead pointed the handgun toward them. In response, the officers fired their handguns, striking the man several times. The officers immediately took the man into custody and performed live-saving measures while waiting for paramedics, but he did not survive. Barker's family was notified of his death.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Fatal shooting by police in February ruled justified by prosecutor