Police in Evansville went through two armed standoffs in 24 hours yesterday.
The first incident began around 9 p.m. Wednesday night and lasted for nearly 12 hours. It started when Evansville Police and U.S. Marshals went to a residence to serve multiple warrants. The incident resulted in the death of 39 year old Walter Lee Baker. Indiana State Police and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s officers were also at the scene. Evansville news reports say that police body cameras show officers approaching a door and asking the suspect to come outside. The officers opened the door to the residence with a key but stayed outside warning Baker that they were sending in a K-9 unit and he could get bitten by the dog. The K-9 began barking and Baker fired a shot through doorway leading police to move away and return fire. According to Evansville police officials on Evansville City Officer and one Indiana State Police trooper fired shots. Evansville police used gas and other methods attempting to get Baker to leave the residence and surrender. Baker continued to fire his weapon at officers through the early morning hours of Thursday. The standoff lasted until around 7:30 Thursday morning when officers entered the residence around 8:20 a.m. they found Baker dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The second standoff followed less than an hour later, when Vanderburgh County deputies attempted to serve and eviction order on 46- year-old Antwynette Pope. According to news reports Pope attempted to cut and slash sheriff’s deputies with a knife before barricading herself in her apartment off Green River Road. The standoff lasted about three hours and ended when officers used chemical irritants and Pope surrendered. Vanderburgh County Sheriff, Dave Wedding, says Pope could face a charge of attempted murder as a result of the incident.
