WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - Some family members of a West Des Moines man killed by police last Friday are not blaming officers for his death.
“It was a justified shooting and Scott wanted to die," said Scott Heisler's sister, Kelly Trently of Urbandale, to WHO-TV. "It’s so unfair that he did it that way,”
Trently said Heisler was using a pellet gun that looks like a hand gun when he confronted officers at his home.
West Des Moines and Clive police were arresting Heisler for violating a no-contact order from his ex-wife when the confrontation took place.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says Heisler was shot and killed after de-escalation attempts were unsuccessful.The officer who shot Heisler is on administrative leave.
Trently told WHO-TV that Heisler struggled with bipolar disorder, issues with alcohol and was devastated by a recent divorce.
Heisler was a Marine veteran, who was in the process of getting help from the VA Central Iowa Health Care System.