New details have emerged in the tragic shooting death of Indiana Firefighter Jacob Tyler McClanahan.
Indiana State Police say that Justin Moore of Owensboro, KY, ran out of gas while driving on State Road 35.
According to FOX 59, a Palmyra Police Department reserve officer stopped to help Moore.
At that time, McClanahan was driving down State Road 135 with a friend in a pickup truck when they saw Moore and the officer on the side of the road. They pulled over and asked if they could assist.
When the officer asked Moore if he had any weapons inside his vehicle, Moore said no, but he was in possession of a small knife. The officer asked Moore to place the knife inside the vehicle.
Investigators told FOX 50 that they aren’t sure what prompted Moore’s next actions, but after he was asked to put the knife in his car Moore opened his door, reached inside as if to put the knife away, but then quickly turned around with a shotgun in his hands.
He fired at the officer, who then returned fire. Moore fired the shotgun a second time, but it was McClanahan who was struck and killed by the shotgun blast.
The reserve officer returned fire once more, investigators said, striking and killing Moore.
Investigators are still unsure why Moore was traveling in Indiana and why he decided to pull out the shotgun and fire upon the very people who stopped to help him.
In the wake of the tragic shooting, the Harrison County Fire Department, where McClanahan was a volunteer, expressed shock over the seemingly senseless shooting.
“Nothing makes sense that anyone could be murdered while stopping and rendering aid,” they wrote in a Facebook post.
“Jacob is a true hero that will forever be remembered living the selfless life he did. A true firefighter that was always there when you needed help. Godspeed Jacob T. McClanahan. Your brothers at Harrison Township will miss you. Gone but never forgotten.”
