Officers cleared after man fatally shoots himself while in back of squad car
KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Three Pleasant Prairie police officers have returned to full duty following an investigation into how a man fatally shot himself on their watch.
On July 20, police arrested 36-year-old Jacob Albright on the suspicion he'd been in possession of a weapon, which he was barred from doing after previous felony convictions for harboring/aiding a felon and cocaine possession.
Video recordings from officers' body cameras and inside the squad car showed officers attempting to pat down Albright. A release Wednesday from Pleasant Prairie police noted Albright was "resisting officers who were attempting to search him."
The in-squad video showed Albright wriggling around while handcuffed in the back of the car. Eventually, he was able to get out of his seatbelt and pull out a gun he had. Albright then shot himself once in the head.
Albright's family has remained flabbergasted at how officers failed to find a gun on Albright, given the call for service was specifically weapons-related, and because Albright was wearing a t-shirt and shorts at the time of the arrest.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office led the investigation into the incident and turned its findings over to Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Gravely.
On October 30, Gravely notified Pleasant Prairie police he found no evidence the officers involved had committed a criminal act.
Albright's sister, Nicole Melanger, said Thursday that even if the officers hadn't done anything criminal, she believed they were careless and lacked compassion.
"Nobody cared, and even after he died, they didn't care," Melanger said. "They didn't care enough to turn around and see what he was doing. They didn't care enough to make sure he was safe."
Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Smetana announced Wednesday Officer Brandon Matz, Officer Allison Gorman and Officer Joshua Girdaukas had been returned to full duty.
The three officers were placed on paid administrative leave after Albright's death because of their involvement in either the initial search or taking Albright to the Kenosha County Jail.
Smetana said he's now ordered an internal review into whether the officers violated any department policies and whether any "discipline, training or equipment adjustments are needed."