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DCI report reveals details from officer-involved shooting

HUMBOLDT — Further details of what police say happened on the day a Humboldt man died in an officer-involved shooting were revealed in an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation report.

Shane Jensen, 19, was shot and killed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer William Spece on Nov. 11, 2017.

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Spece was not immediately identified by officials after the shooting. In its final statement to the press on Nov. 12 following the incident, the Iowa DCI said no further information would be released from their office and that the results of the investigation would be forwarded to the Humboldt County attorney’s office for review.

That report, containing multiple documents, was obtained by The Messenger on Friday from the Humboldt office.

Jensen was being sought by family members and law enforcement on Nov. 11 after expressing thoughts of suicide by cop to family members and stealing a vehicle, according to the reports.

Jensen suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and situational depression, according to his mother Krystal Wagner, of Humboldt. He was the youngest member in his family, which includes eight sisters.

Wagner was “concerned that us law enforcement officers would be hurt,” according to Humbodlt Deputy Michael Vinsand, writing in the report.

“Krystal said she had basically planned out Shane’s funeral already and just wanted to make sure that the law enforcement officers go home to their families,” Vinsand said. “Krystal also said that he was planning on shooting at us (law enforcement) just to make sure that we would shoot him.”

On the afternoon of the shooting, Jensen was reportedly hiding under the deck of a home located at 205 Fourth St. S. in Dakota City when officers arrived on scene at about 2:30 p.m.

Tom Nielsen, a Humboldt police officer, went to look under the deck by standing above it.

“I drew my sidearm and stepped onto the deck,” Nielsen told investigators. “I was having problems seeing what was underneath while looking through the gaps. I took my flashlight from my pocket and shined it down through the gaps. I moved approximately 4 to 5 feet south along the wall of the house when I noticed something that looked like cloth. As I was trying to decide if it was more wood, it moved.”

Nielsen said he immediately yelled to the person underneath the deck to come out and show their hands.

He said Jensen came out from under the deck, west to east.

Jensen was carrying a black handgun, which was later identified as a 9 mm handgun, Nielsen recalled.

“I immediately moved back toward the door in an effort to provide cover for myself,” Nielsen said. “As I was backing into the doorway, I saw that the subject was pointing the gun at me and was still moving away, but was on the ground. I looked away long enough to step back inside the doorway. When I returned my eyes to the subject, I could see that it was in fact Jensen who was previously known to law enforcement. He was now on his feet and backing away from the house and no longer pointing the gun in my direction.”

Meanwhile, Spece had pulled into a yard on the side of the house.

He had seen Nielsen on the deck with his flashlight.

According to the reports, Spece was in Humboldt County on conservation-related business when he was asked by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department to assist in a search for a missing person, who was Jensen.

Spece said he “always backs up other officers if asked, especially in domestic cases and other high risk cases.”

He told investigators he recalled that Nielsen had no cover, and everyone was telling Jensen to drop the gun.

At one point Jensen pointed the gun in the air, fired off a round and brought the gun back down, according to the reports.

Spece said no one shot at Jensen as police continued to give orders.

“Spece recalled the kid yelling that they were going to have to kill him,” the report stated. “That was when he brought his hands down and circled around to face Spece and (Tim) Fisher, Humboldt County sheriff’s deputy. Spece stated that’s when he saw the kid’s wrist and muscles flex, so Spece shot him.”

Spece fired a single shot, according to the report.

According to Kenneth Vorland, Humboldt County sheriff’s deputy, Jensen was lying on his back with his right hand close to the handgun on the ground.

“His hand looked like it was moving towards the handgun,” Vorland said.

Nielsen reportedly ran over to move the gun away from Jensen.

Jensen was turned onto his stomach and ultimately handcuffed.

He was then turned over onto his back so Vorland could check for a gunshot wound.

“I was not aware yet if Jensen had shot himself or if an officer had shot him,” Vorland said. “I checked his head and found no blood. Officer Nielsen gave me his knife, and I started cutting open his jackets and shirts. I couldn’t find any blood until I got down towards the last layer of clothing. Jensen had on several layers of clothing.”

Vorland said an area had a small amount of blood.

“When I exposed his skin, there was a small hole in the right upper chest area,” Vorland said.

Vorland said he ran to his patrol car to grab his first aid kit and defibrillator.

When he came back, Rick Cofer was applying pressure to the wound.

Cofer works on the Humboldt Ambulance Service. He responded with Emily Hansen, another member of the ambulance service.

“Dressings were applied to the wound and pressure was held,” Vorland said. “It appeared that Jensen had stopped breathing. Emily Hansen and I checked for a pulse. There was no pulse.”

Jensen was then loaded into an ambulance and put on an automatic CPR machine, Vorland said.

The autopsy later confirmed Jensen’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

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