The State Medical Examiner has released the autopsy results on the man shot to death over the weekend by a Washington County Deputy. The autopsy shows 39-year-old Martin Hammen died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says Washington County Sheriff’s Sergeant Kirk Bailey shot Hammen after responding to a house fire in rural Wellman. Bailey reported that Hammen refused to comply with orders to drop a handgun that he waived in a threatening manner at deputies.
Bailey is a 20-year law enforcement veteran. The shooting happened Sunday around 1:15 a.m. Earlier on Saturday night, deputies had been sent to Hammen’s home on the report of a suicidal man, but they could not locate Hammen at that time and left.
The D.C.I. and Washington County Sheriff’s Office are continuing the investigation and say the information they obtain will be turned over to the Iowa Attorney General for a decision on any charges in the case.