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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 11 april 2018

Montana officer kills man at casino who had pellet gun

By MATTHEW BROWN The suspect’s identity was Sandy Jacke.
Associated Press not immediately made St. John in comments to
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A public pending notifica- reporters defended his
police officer shot and tion of relatives. St. John officers’ handling of this
killed a man authorities said the man was known to week’s police shootings.
said was waving a black the police but provided no In both cases, the victims
pellet gun and threatening further details. His ex-wife acted erratically and did
patrons inside a casino ear- told police that he may not respond to clear com-
ly Tuesday — the second have taken opiates prior mands to drop their weap-
fatal shooting by officers to Tuesday’s confrontation. ons, he said.
in Montana’s largest city in St. John said toxicological “You do not use less lethal
less than 24 hours. tests were planned. options in a lethal scenar-
The two deaths mark the Becker was placed on ad- io,” St. John said.
latest in a string of suspects ministrative leave with pay The investigations of the
killed by law enforcement pending an internal investi- shootings will be reviewed
in recent months as Bill- gation. by the state Department This undated booking photo provided by the Montana
ings struggles to contain a Twelve people have been of Justice’s criminal divi- Department of Corrections shows Zachary Hoven, who
surge in violence and prop- shot and killed by law en- sion, under an agreement authorities say was killed Monday, April 9, 2018, by a Bill-
erty crimes. Authorities say forcement in Billings since reached last fall between ings police after he advanced on officers with a knife and
the lawbreaking is largely May 2012, according to the state and Billings refused commands to drop the weapon.
driven by illegal drugs com- an Associated Press re- police.q Associated Press
ing into the city of 110,000 view. Two more were shot
people. but survived, Iffland said.
The 44-year-old man killed In most cases, the victims
Tuesday was being sought were determined or sus-
by police in the lead-up pected to be using meth-
to his death. His ex-wife amphetamine prior to
reported earlier that he confrontations with police,
showed up at her house, according to toxicology re-
banged on her door and ports and law enforcement
windows and remarked officials.
that he was going to rob a Zachary Glen Hoven, 29,
casino, Billings Police Chief was shot and killed Mon-
Rich St. John said. day morning by a Billings
Less than an hour later, police officer at a down-
the man was seen enter- town apartment.
ing Lucky Lil’s casino just Officials said Hoven was
before 1:30 a.m. Officers waving a knife, threw
broke a window to enter knives at officers and was
the locked building, where advancing on them when
Sgt. Bret Becker shot the he was shot repeatedly. An
man multiple times with an earlier attempt to subdue
AR-15 assault rifle after the him with a stun gun failed.
suspect refused to drop the Hoven had previous con-
gun and said he had taken victions including for theft,
hostages, St. John said. burglary and tampering
It was unknown whether with witnesses. He was
the man fired the pellet put on parole April 6, af-
gun, which Becker had be- ter being released last fall
lieved to be a firearm, St from state prison and then
John said. spending three months at
The gun “looked exactly the Warm Springs mental
like a black, semi-automat- facility and six months at
ic handgun, very realistic,” a pre-release center in Bill-
said Billings Police Capt. ings, said Department of
Kevin Iffland. Corrections spokeswoman