Shad Gerken

How they died

Deadly force

A state police tactical team found Gerken along Route 116 carrying a knife and acting erratically. A standoff reportedly lasted from mid-morning through about 6 p.m. "The shots were fired after the failure of several attempts to disarm or subdue Gerken with nonlethal force. Those included four Taser shots, three foam baton strikes, several pressurized water bursts from a fire hose and many more doses of pepper spray, officials said." One of the troopers suffered a superficial knife wound. Gerken was shot dead.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Shad Gerken, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources