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Nichols Hills Police Release Report On Suspect Shot, Killed

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After the medical examiner released the first page of an ongoing report on a suspect shot and killed by a Nichols Hills police officer, the Nichols Hills Police Department released its full report on what happened last Monday morning.

In just the few hours that the medical examiner's one-page report was released, Nichols Hills Police Chief Richard Mask said his department received hate e-mail and hate phone calls. People have gone as far as to call his officers "murderers," but he said they're not hearing the whole story.

In the report, the state medical examiner's office states 34-year-old Dustin Edelen was killed by a "penetrating gunshot wound to back."

ME's Spokesperson Cherokee Ballard said the a full report is not ready but once completed, it will provide further details into Edelen's death.

"There is much more to the story than the officer chased suspect out of house and shot him in the back because that is not what happened," Mask said.

He said the details of Monday morning's incident are fully disclosed in a nine-page Nichols Hills Police Department incident report. The report stated that officers believed the suspect had a weapon and turned back toward police when Sergeant Joe Land shot and killed the him.

Read the Nichols Hills Police Incident Report

"The bullet hits right under the shoulder blade. Right there at this angle, the trajectory is up at across the chest and bullet never exited and there was a large bulge on the right side of the chest where the slung ended," Mask said.

The weapon police believed the suspect was carrying turned out to be a sock filled with jewelry, said Mask.

Psychologist Dr. Stewart Beasley said even with advanced training, during an intense situation like that, mistakes can happen.

"By being on hyper alert sometimes we don't see things accurately particularly if it's in dim light or at high speed," Beasley said.

In the statements Sergeant Land gave police, he does admit just before shooting his gun he was falling to the ground. When he looked up he said not only did he think Edelen was armed but gave a threatening look.

Lang remains on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of OSBI's investigation.

The ME's office said it will release the full report once it is completed.