(Fort Dodge, Iowa) – The Webster County Attorney’s Office has released a report into a fatal, officer-involved shooting incident that took place last month. The incident happened March 16th, in Fort Dodge. Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll released the report Tuesday, detailing his factual findings and conclusions regarding the use of deadly force on Tyler C. Stansberry in the officer involved shooting involving four Fort Dodge Police Officers in the early morning hour of March 16th, 2024, at 1525 4th Ave. S., in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The Fort Dodge Police Officers involved were Officer Nicholas Ruggles, Sergeant Matthew Webb, Officer Andrew Lane, and Officer Matthew English.Driscoll found the use of force, to include deadly force used by the Fort Dodge Police Officers to be justified. In the four-page report, Driscoll details factual findings supporting the conclusion.

Attorney Driscoll’s report said “On March 16, 2024, at approximately 8:40am, the Fort Dodge Police Department responded to a call for service at 1525 4th Avenue South in Fort Dodge. The call indicated that an individual inside the residence, later identified as 24-year-old Tyler C. Stansberry, was exhibiting out of control behavior, including injuring a dog inside the residence. Officers also discovered that Mr. Stansberry had an active arrest warrant for a violation of probation relating to a conviction for domestic violence. Once officers arrived on scene, they spoke with family members of Mr. Stansberry, outside of the house so that the family members would be kept safe from Mr. Stansberry. The family members advised officers of further details about the abuse of animals that day, and other erratic and violent behaviors being exhibited by Mr. Stansberry, which led the family to contact law enforcement. A family member also advised that Mr. Stansberry had armed himself with a knife just before law enforcement was contacted, was pacing around the basement with a knife in an agitated state, had been punching a dog and had yelled threateningly at one of his family members.

“Officers collected additional information about Mr. Stansberry’s actions that day, his recent behaviors and mental health struggles, as well as learning about a prior similar incident a few years earlier where Mr. Stansberry had barricaded himself during a call for service. The officers then put together a plan for how to approach Mr. Stansbury in the basement. Four officers then made their way through the main level of the house to the basement door and proceeded down the stairs. While proceeding down to the bottom of the stairs, Officer Ruggles called out ‘Tyler…Tyler. Come talk to us man.” Mr. Stansberry did not respond. The four Officers then continued down the stairs to the basement, led by Officer Ruggles armed with a Taser and a shield, followed by Officer English armed with his service pistol loaded with live ammunition in his right hand, Officer Lane armed with a less-lethal beanbag round loaded in a shotgun, followed by Sergeant Webb.”

The report went on to says “The body cameras show the officers methodically entering the basement and checking for Mr. Stansberry, and that three of the officers reached the bottom of the stairs. Upon doing so, Lane passes Ruggles and English and opens a door to a bathroom. He then checks and clears the bathroom located to the Officer’s right at the base of the stairs. Immediately after the bathroom is cleared, Ruggles announces ‘Tyler, Tyler, come over here…’ as the officers still do not know where Mr. Stansberry is located. Upon this request by Ruggles, Mr. Stansberry immediately screams and charges from a darkened adjacent room to the left of the officers, who are still positioned in front of the bathroom at the base of the stairs. The officers turn to their left, to the direction of the screams and observe Mr. Stansberry charging them at a high rate of speed with a knife in each hand. Within approximately one second of when Mr. Stansberry begins to charge and scream, he has almost reached the officers. Ruggles then deploys his taser, Lane fires his less-lethal bean bag round, and English fires two live rounds from his service pistol, striking Stansberry twice in the torso.

“Webb is still on the stairs, with a partially obstructed view, due to the tight quarters at the bottom of the stairs and does not fire his weapon. Mr. Stansberry falls to the ground and lands at the feet of the officers, still located in the tightly enclosed area at the base of the stairs in front of the bathroom. After going to the ground, Mr. Stansberry was still resisting the officers’ attempts to disarm him. He was lying on his chest, while still holding onto the knives in each of his hands and not letting them go. Officers eventually subdued him and were able to remove the knives from his hands. Once Mr. Stansberry was disarmed and secured, medical personnel were immediately called to aid Mr. Stansberry and a call was made to dispatch of shots fired. Later, Mr. Stansberry succumbed to his injuries from the two live rounds that struck his body, and he was pronounced dead.

“Analysis by the DCI Criminalistics laboratory of the firearm and ammunition used by Officer English, concluded that the fatal rounds were consistent with the ammunition used and firearm fired by Officer English. Given the established facts of this case, the Webster County Attorney’s Office has concluded that Officer Nick Ruggles, Sergeant Matthew Webb, Officer Andrew Lane, and Officer Matthew English each used “reasonable force” in responding to the use of deadly force by Tyler C. Stansberry on March 16, 2024. Each used a level of force that a reasonable person in like circumstances would have judged necessary to prevent an injury or loss. Further, Officer English’s use of deadly force was reasonable, in that it was reasonable for him to believe that such use of force was necessary to avoid injury or risk to his life or safety or the life or safety of another. Further, the use of deadly force by Officer English was reasonable in that it was reasonable for him to believe that such force was necessary to resist a like force or threat, in accordance with Iowa Code…”

The report said “Officer Nick Ruggles, Sergeant Matthew Webb, Officer Andrew Lane and Officer Matthew English were each justified in the use of reasonable force, including deadly force, in that each reasonably believed that such force was necessary to defend himself or another from an actual or imminent use of unlawful force by Tyler C. Stansberry, in accordance with Iowa Code…”

With the release of the Webster County Attorney’s report, the Fort Dodge Police Departments focus is now on returning the involved Officers to full-duty status. We will make sure that the Officers mental and physical needs are met while navigating the days ahead. Unfortunate events such as this impact all involved, to include their families, the department, and the Fort Dodge Community. We are eager to get these Officers back to work, serving the Fort Dodge Community.