Terre Haute officer cleared of shooting knife-wielding man

Authorities have ruled that a western Indiana police officer was justified in fatally shooting a man who was threatening him with a knife earlier this month.

The Vigo County prosecutor announced Tuesday that a Terre Haute police officer acted appropriately after responding to a domestic violence call on Dec. 1 and heard a woman screaming inside the house. Officer Adam Noel kicked in the door and saw 42-year-old James Ready coming toward him with a knife.

A state police investigation determined the officer ordered Ready to drop the knife seven times, with Ready replying “shoot me” and “kill me” while still coming toward Noel, Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Ready’s refusal to drop the knife and his approach of Officer Noel put both the officer and another person in immediate risk of death or serious bodily injury,” Modesitt said in a statement.

The officer fired three shots, with two of them hitting Ready, the prosecutor said.

The woman attacked by Ready suffered eight stab wounds and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.