St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter has determined that an officer was justified in fatally shooting a woman in South Bend two months ago. Cotter is declining to release video of the incident.
Cotter on Tuesday issued a press release announcing that South Bend police officer Michael Dube (Doo BAY) acted within the law May 6 when he fatally shot 25-year-old Hannah Aberegg outside a Portage Avenue gas station.
Aberegg’s mother had called police and asked them to check on her welfare, saying she may be suicidal and may have a gun. When officers found her and started talking with her, they say she became distraught and reached into her handbag. They repeatedly asked her to stop but she continued, pulling a gun out and beginning to raise it up. Dube then shot her.
Dube had been a 20-year veteran with the Mishawaka Police Department before transferring to South Bend in 2023. Internal Affairs will now determine if Dube followed policy.
Cotter says it was caught on video but he’s not releasing the video at her family’s request. However, Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act does not let family members decide whether body cam and dash cam videos, which are public record, can be released.
Cotter declined WVPE’s interview request.
