A Burlington, Iowa police officer will not face charges in the shooting death of a 34-year-old woman.
During a domestic call on Tuesday morning, January 6, 2015, Officer Jesse Hill with the Burlington Police Department fired his weapon hitting Autumn Mae Steele, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Hill was reportedly shooting at Steele’s dog when he slipped and shot Steele instead.
According to a report by KBUR, in an eight-page memo, Des Moines County Attorney Amy Beavers explained that no charges would be filed against Hill.
“After reviewing the complete DCI investigation, there were no criminal charges that applied to the circumstances of this case,” Beavers said to KBUR.
The memo indicated that Steele had been arrested one day before the shooting for domestic abuse for an assault on her husband. A no-contact order was filed between the couple and Steele was released from custody.
On the morning of the shooting, Steele returned to the home she shared with her husband, according to the report. Steele’s husband contacted police to report that he was again being assaulted by Steele.
Hill responded to the scene where he reportedly saw Steele pulling her husband’s shirt and hitting him in the back of the head.
While wearing a body-mounted video camera, Hill approached the couple and was bitten by their dog. He asked for the dog to be restrained and drew his gun. The dog reportedly continued to approach him, and according to the DCI investigation, this is when Hill fell backwards and fired two shots. Steele was struck in the chest by a bullet.
The report added that Hill did not use a taser against the dog because a taser did not work in a previous incident he had with a dog.
According to KBUR, Beavers said it was “a very tragic, accidental death.”
Hill was placed on paid administrative leave after the incident. Whether he will return to the Burlington Police Department is unknown.