Sheriff says man killed in standoff 'clearly' didn't want to return to prison

The man killed by a Vanderburgh County deputy during a standoff Wednesday was a convicted felon so hellbent on avoiding a return to prison that he shot at officers, Sheriff Noah Robinson said Thursday.

Robinson identified the man during a news conference at the sheriff's office as 49-year-old Steven Howard Goldstein, who he said fired on deputies and members of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force from inside a trailer.

The incident began about noon Wednesday at 7303 North St. Joseph Road. Deputies were attempting to arrest Goldstein for alleged parole violations. They also reportedly wanted to speak to him after an anonymous tip indicated he discharged a firearm in front of a juvenile earlier in the week.

The tip included video footage that appeared on Facebook, Robinson said. The Courier & Press independently reviewed the video Wednesday, which shows a man stand up from a chair, draw a pistol and fire at least one shot just inches away from a woman. One individual who told the Courier & Press they were present said they were nearly struck by a bullet.

Wednesday's siege on Goldstein's trailer was informed by knowledge of his criminal history, warnings from people who knew him that he was capable of violence, the video and a chilling caution from a man who had just seen him, Robinson said.

That man confirmed that Goldstein was inside “and that he was armed with a 9 millimeter handgun," the sheriff said. The man said something else: Goldstein "was not going to surrender," Robinson quoted him.

After surveilling the trailer, employing a drone and assessing ways to get Goldstein out peacefully, officers decided to call on an armored rescue vehicle.

"We shouted warnings into the trailer for a solid 30 minutes," Robinson said.

Immediately, the other man who lived in the trailer came out — but Goldstein remained inside.

After more shouted warnings, Robinson said, officers finally heard shots from the side of the building and the echo of gunfire from inside the trailer. They responded with three tear gas rounds fired from a 40-millimeter launcher into the trailer's windows.

The deputies and marshals next pulled the armored rescue vehicle alongside the trailer in a bid to tear the structure apart from the outside. That would give a clearer picture of the inside of the trailer and deprive Goldstein of cover, according to Robinson.

The deputies and marshals could afford to play a waiting game with Goldstein, Robinson said, but Goldstein "escalated the situation," which led to his death.

The critical confrontation occurred with Goldstein lying on his belly but in a very dangerous position, the sheriff said.

"As we began taking apart the westward side of the trailer and working our way to the east, one of our deputies spotted Mr. Goldstein in a prone position, pointing a handgun at us," Robinson said. "Then, almost as soon as the deputy noticed him, Mr. Goldstein fired a shot directly at us – which prompted the deputy to return fire, striking Mr. Goldstein and killing him."

The depth of Goldstein's desperation can be assessed by what he faced had he been captured alive, Robinson said.

"Mr. Goldstein had a petition to revoke his probation on a parole violation warrant based on a new methamphetamine charge he had picked up in Posey County," the sheriff said. "So in addition to the parole violation, he was wanted on a charge of methamphetamine in Posey County, and now these new (firearms charges stemming from the video).

"So this was an individual who clearly made the decision that they were not going to go back to prison and were willing to shoot at us to make that point."

The deputy who fired the fatal shot is on administrative leave with counseling and time off per sheriff's office policy, Robinson said, and Indiana State Police is tasked with conducting the internal investigation.

Why state police and not sheriff's office internal affairs?

"We’re a large agency, but we’re not so huge that we don’t all know each other," Robinson said. "This (fatal shooting) appears to be very straightforward, but they’re not always straightforward."