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More info. released on C.Bluffs officers-involved shooting

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December 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Council Bluffs Police Department has released the names of the Council Bluffs police officers involved in a Tuesday shooting. Sgt. Chad Meyers says Officers Jarrod Poore, a 13 -year veteran on the force, and Corey Woodward, who has been with the department for 14-years,were on the scene in the 100 block of Park Avenue when 33-year-old Jesse Wilkinson allegedly accelerated a stolen vehicle toward the pair, prompting the shooting.

Meyers says that at around 12:40 p.m., Tuesday, the uniformed officers – in an unmarked vehicle – saw Wilkinson as he pulled a blue 2012 Chevrolet Corvette that has been reported as stolen into the driveway of an apartment complex at 127 Park Avenue. Poore and Woodward approached on foot from behind. As they neared, Wilkinson allegedly accelerated the vehicle in reverse toward police, striking and damaging their parked vehicle. Poore fired two shots at the Corvette as it backed up. One shot hit Wilkinson in the right thigh and the other in the left calf. The department cited policy in noting both are currently on administrative leave.

Wilkinson was able to flee the scene after being shot and eluded authorities after a brief high-speed chase. Around 1:15 p.m. law enforcement in Omaha found the Corvette in the 5900 block of North 35th Street, while the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force found Wilkinson nearby – at 5702 N. 35th St. – around 4 p.m. later in the day. Omaha Fire and Rescue personnel transported Wilkinson to the Nebraska Medical Center for treatment.

He was released on Thursday and is now in the custody of Douglas County (Neb.) Corrections, held on an unrelated federal warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Douglas County officials and the Council Bluffs Police Department. Bluffs Police Sgt. Dave Dawson said charges related to the Tuesday incident are pending.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation continues to investigate the officer-involved shooting, while the police department investigates Wilkinson’s alleged crimes. The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office is scheduled to make a decision on charges after the completion of the investigations.