EVANSVILLE – After initially waiting to do so, Evansville police have released the name of the officer who shot and killed 58-year-old Everett Nunn on Saturday.
The officer was identified as Nicholas Helfert. He joined EPD in November 2021 after serving with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office for two years.
In a news release Wednesday night, EPD spokesman Sgt. Anthony Aussieker said the department was unveiling Helfert’s name as part of a commitment to “transparency.”
“In keeping with that commitment, we are releasing the name and badge number of the officer involved in the 11/22/2025 police action shooting in the unit block of (East) Louisiana (Street),” the release states.
The announcement came after the Courier & Press sent multiple questions to EPD over the last couple days asking why it hadn’t released Helfert’s name, and how it planned to conduct the investigation into Nunn’s shooting.
On Tuesday, a reporter asked why EPD initially declined to publicly identify Helfert. In a previous police shooting – when officers shot and wounded 18-year-old Jailani Chew on Sept. 21 after police say Chew shot and seriously injured EPD officer Sam Taylor as investigators responded to a report of a car theft – Chief Phil Smith named the officer who shot Taylor at a news conference a day later: Seth Gorman.
Ausskier said Gorman’s identity was released because he was already named in a probable cause affidavit. No affidavit was ever written in the Nunn shooting.
Around noon Wednesday, the C&P sent the following question to Aussieker: “What would you say to city residents who on the one hand hear pledges of transparency from officials and then on the other hear that the officer’s name isn’t being released (at least for now). How should the public understand the balance between their right to know and the city’s need to protect its officers from potential threats?”
About seven hours later, less than 15 minutes before EPD unveiled Wednesday night’s news release, Aussieker replied, “I believe the release we will put tonight will be able to answer that.”
The release reiterated that EPD would investigate the shooting internally instead of handing it off to an outside agency for an independent review. But Aussieker did delve into how that investigation will unfold.
He said EPD’s adult investigations unit will handle the inquiry.
“The investigation will include the gathering of statements from all involved parties and witnesses. Investigators will also collect digital and physical evidence,” the release states. “As the target of the criminal investigation, the officer is read their Miranda Rights and afforded their legal protection under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“With these rights in mind, the officer cannot be compelled to provide a statement to the investigator.”
Helfert will, however, “be compelled to give a recorded statement to the chain of command. The investigation will also include the gathering of statements from all involved parties and witnesses.”
Once the investigation file is approved, EPD will hand it off to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s office. Internal Affairs will then take a look, issue a report, and hand the matter over to the police merit commission, which is “responsible for all hiring and enforcing all discipline, up to and including termination,” the release states.
Helfert shot Nunn to death after responding to a report of an impending fight on East Louisiana Street on Saturday. The initial news release in the case stated that Nunn held what “appeared to be” a gun.
In body camera footage EPD released during a news conference on Monday, a man can be heard exclaiming, “It’s not a gun!” seconds before Helfert fired. Aussieker revealed that Nunn wasn’t holding a gun. It was actually a novelty smoking pipe made to look like a firearm.
That same day, members of Nunn’s family and other protestors gathered outside EPD headquarters as Mayor Stephanie Terry and Smith met with Evansville NAACP Chapter President Ed Landers inside.
Nunn’s son and daughter told reporters their father was a good man who did not deserve to lose his life to gunfire. According to Courier & Press archives, he played for the local semipro football squad the Evansville Vipers and worked as a barber.
“I’m not a police officer. I’ve never been in their shoes,” Nunn’s daughter, Jaida Nunn, said. “But we need a better something. Something!”
Nunn’s shooting is still an ongoing investigation. Anyone with info can contact the adult investigations unit at 812-436-7979.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville police name officer who shot, killed Everett Nunn
Reporting by Jon Webb and Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
