Iowa Attorney General’s office says police involved in Centerville, Iowa shooting were justified in their actions

CENTERVILLE, Iowa (KYOU) - An investigation by the Iowa Attorney General’s office into the shooting of a Centerville, Iowa man says the officers involved were justified in their actions.

In a letter to the Appanoose County Attorney, it details the events of November 21 at the home of Kevin Arbogast.

Centerville Police Officers Jacob Downs and Graffe Holmes along with Appanoose County Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Buckallew, Junior were listed as the police involved in the incident.

The investigation says around 3:34 pm on November 21, Officers Downs and Holmes responded to a domestic assault call in the city. They spoke with the victim who told them her husband, Kevin Arbogast who lived outside of the city limits, came to her home, appeared to have been drinking, and assaulted her. Officer say they saw some red marks on the victim’s wrists.

The officers returned to the police station and contacted Arbogast by phone to get his side of the story. Arbogast told them he was at his home if they wanted to come to talk to him. The officers learned prior to going to Arbogast’s home, that he was an ex-marine, so they reached out to the sheriff’s office to have a deputy meet them at the man’s home.

The report says Arbogast’s 15-year-old son who was at the home was told by his father to put on a bulletproof vest and told to load three different guns.

When the officers arrived, they identified themselves as police officers. The squad car’s video camera and the officers’ body cameras were both turned on.

The officers went to the home, the son answered and they asked him about the vest he was wearing. He told them his father told him to put it on because something was going down. The officers told the son to step out of the house. The officers asked the son if his father had a gun and he said he had an AR-15 with him.

Then police say Arbogast came from a shed wearing a bulletproof vest, armed with the AR-15, and pointed it at them. The officers pulled their weapons and yelled at Arbogast to put the gun down.

The officers continued to tell Arbogast to put the gun down, but he refused and yelled at the officers which one wanted to get shot first.

The report says Officer Downs gave Arbogast a final warning to put the down gun, officers then fired their weapons.

Deputy Buckallew, Jr had arrived at the home and saw Arbogast with the rifle in his hands and pointing it at the officers. Deputy then told Arbogast to drop the rifle and get on the ground. Arbogast continued to back to the patrol car and swung his rifle up and around toward the officer. The deputy fired one round and the other offices fired their weapons, Arbogast went down.

The officers then went over to Arbogast to find him face down along with the loaded AR-15 and loaded pistol on him.

Officers called for medical help.

An autopsy revealed Kevin Arbogast was struck in the head and lower right torso causing his death.

The report goes on to say the officers involved were justified in their actions on this day.

If you want to read the full report, here’s the link.

An investigation continues after police officers fatally shot a man near the south-central Iowa town of Centerville.

The shooting happened Sunday after officers received a call about a domestic assault outside of town.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Monday that two Centerville officers and an Appanoose County sheriff’s deputy “were engaged in an officer-involved shooting that resulted in one person killed.”

The DCI identified the man killed as 45-year-old Kevin Arbogast of Centerville. No further information about the shooting was released.

The officers involved were placed on administrative pending the investigation.

No officers were injured.