The two police officers in an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a man in downtown Sioux City will not face criminal charges.
Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis in a Tuesday press conference said a state agency investigation into the January 8 incident that left a Sioux City man dead after an officer-involved shooting showed that officers acted properly.
"Deadly force was justified," Loomis said, describing the man's actions as "erratic and aggressive and violent."
The shooting occurred after Salvador Perez-Garcia rammed two patrol vehicles with his pick-up truck in the parking garage of the Sioux City Hard Rock Casino.
Perez-Garcia got out swinging a chain with a weighted metal object on the end of it. Officers said they tried to defuse the situation, but that Perez-Garcia didn’t comply with commands and kept coming toward them with the chain.
The officers fired a combined 11 shots, nine of which struck the man, who died at the scene.
The names of the officers were not revealed by Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller said, but he did release a video of the incident from several camera positions, saying it was important to show the public how the officers took proper actions.
Mueller said Perez-Garcia undertook a “premeditated ambush” seeking to force the confrontation with police.
Additionally, a notable metro recreational project will be carried out by the end of the year, as plans are moving forward to link trail systems in Sioux City, Iowa, and in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.
The project has long been sought by bicyclists and others, and the bridge to cross the Big Sioux River will cost $2.6 million dollars. The Sioux City Council on Monday approved a $1.8 million contract with a Nebraska firm to complete what is called the Big Sioux Pedestrian Bridge Crossing project.
The money to pay for the recreation bridge comes from a combination of city money, grants and fundraising amounts. Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott praised the project, noting that the bridge connection will lengthen the number of miles that people can enjoy along rec trails.
Going back to the early 2010’s, people in the Siouxland Trails Foundation said that the metro trail system would benefit by connecting separate pieces. The Big Sioux River bridge is slated to be completed by this fall.
Additionally, a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult for lawmakers to raise income taxes in the future is advancing in the Iowa Legislature. The measure would be a notable amendment to the Iowa Constitution, as it would ban an income tax policy in which higher income earners would pay more than others, enshrining a flat income tax for all Iowans.
Additionally, the constitutional amendment measure would require at least a two-thirds vote—rather than a simple majority—to raise income taxes.
Mike Owen with Common Good Iowa told lawmakers the measure would make it very difficult for future legislatures to fund state services if Iowa needs more tax revenue.
Groups that seek to cut taxes like the measure, as a way for future lawmakers to be prevented from undoing tax cuts of the last few years.
A proposed constitutional amendment must be passed by two general assemblies to get on the ballot, and then Iowa voters can decide whether to adopt it.
