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Panora Police Officer Cleared Of Wrongdoing In July 1 Shooting

A Panora Police Department officer involved in a shooting death earlier this month has been cleared of any wrongdoing. On Tuesday, Guthrie County Attorney, Mary Benton, released her conclusion on the incident after reviewing taped interviews with witnesses, Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) laboratory reports, dispatch logs and body camera video. According to Benton, Officer Rock Armstrong was justified in his use of deadly force on July 1. At approximately 7:19 p.m., Armstrong was dispatched to an apartment in the 500 block of Market Street on a report of a man threatening residents with a knife. Upon arrival, Armstrong identified the subject as 26-year-old Joshua Reed, of New Virginia. Reed made multiple threats indicating he intended to kill as many officers as possible until he was shot. He then charged the officer while carrying a 12-inch knife. Armstrong retreated backwards down the apartment’s hallway and ordered Reed to drop the weapon several times before firing three shots, killing Reed. Benton notes that interviews conducted after the incident by DCI agents determined Reed had made comments in the days prior indicating he wished to harm himself.

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