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Kevin C. Fehl

Age : 31

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/08/2021

Location : West Johnson School Road near County Road 710 West

City : Orange Township

County : Fayette

State : Indiana

Agency : Fayette County Sheriff’s Office; Connersville Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Suicide under police duress following police chase

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/08/2021, 31-year-old Kevin C. Fehl suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after a short police chase in Fayette County ended when officers deployed a tire-deflation device. Fehl was airlifted to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis and died on 09/09/2021.
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The encounter began at approximately 7:24 p.m. when the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a woman reporting a domestic dispute with her estranged husband, Fehl. Officers reportedly knew Fehl from previous interactions and believed he commonly carried weapons. Based on that information, police decided to use the Connersville Police Department SWAT team rather than make an ordinary response.
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SWAT personnel staged nearby at approximately 8:24 p.m. While officers were preparing to contact Fehl, an officer recognized him driving past the staging location. Officers returned to their vehicles and began pursuing him. Thus, the police chase was initiated in connection with the reported domestic disturbance and planned SWAT apprehension rather than for a traffic violation.
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The pursuit was brief. At approximately 8:31 p.m., officers reported that Fehl’s vehicle struck a police tire-deflation device. He stopped on West Johnson School Road near County Road 710 West. Officers then began what police described as a high-risk traffic-stop procedure.
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As officers attempted to take Fehl into custody, they heard a single gunshot from inside his vehicle. Officers approached and found Fehl suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Police reported that no law-enforcement officer fired during either the pursuit or the final encounter.
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Fehl was flown by medical helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition. He died there on 09/09/2021. His obituary confirms his age, full name and date of death. The Marion County Coroner’s Office was expected to conduct an autopsy.
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Indiana State Police detectives from the Pendleton District assumed the lead investigation into the encounter rather than leaving the investigation solely with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office or Connersville Police Department.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Fayette County and Connersville officers involved in the pursuit, tire-deflation deployment and attempted apprehension have not been publicly identified in the records located for this update.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://wrbiradio.com/connersville-man-suffers-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound-after-pursuit/
https://wrbiradio.com/connersville-man-dies-from-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound-following-pursuit/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/newsexaminer/name/kevin-fehl-obituary?id=24051363