INDIANAPOLIS — The father of slain Southport police Lt. Aaron Allan said his family is angry and they feel let down by the prosecutor's case against the man accused of killing him.
"It was lackluster at best, coming from the prosecutor’s office. They ask that we put our trust in them," James Allan, Aaron's father, said on Monday.
He said they put their trust in the prosecutor's office, but they were deceived and blindsided.
"I'm angry as hell. My whole family is," Allan said. "Where's the outrage?"
He spoke critically about the prosecutor's case and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears.
“They definitely let us down. But then it’s not the first time the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has done that," he said.
WRTV has reached out to the prosecutor’s office Monday afternoon. They have declined to comment at this time.
James also spoke critically of several other officials.
“I’m hurt, I’m torn, I’m angry,” Allan said. “We still have an officer that’s gone. I still have a son that’s gone.”
Before an interview on Monday, Allan shared several family photos of his son.
One picture frame was empty.
"This could've been our solar eclipse trip to Tennessee," Allan said. "There's many memories that I wish I could have shared and filled this frame with."
Instead of printing off pictures of new memories to put in the frame, it sits empty as Allan prepares to learn the outcome of the murder trial of the man charged with his son's death on Tuesday.
The Case
Jason Dane Brown is charged with murder and possession of marijuana after prosecutors say he crashed a BMW then shot Allan in the 6600 block of South Madison Avenue about 2:40 p.m. on July 27, 2017.
Brown was suspended by a seat belt in the upside-down car when he fired 18 shots, 11 of which hit Allan, prosecutors say.
Prosecutors say Brown, 32, was high and hallucinating when he crashed and fatally shot Allan, who had crawled into the overturned vehicle to help.
Defense attorneys say Brown suffered a seizure that caused him to crash and shoot the officer.
Marion Superior Court Judge Mark Stoner heard testimony from more than two dozen witnesses during Brown's six-day bench trail, which concluded on Feb. 15.
Stoner is scheduled to deliver a verdict in Brown's bench trial on Tuesday morning.
Allan was among the first officers on the scene after Brown crashed his BMW on South Madison Avenue in Homecroft. Allan was trying to help when he crawled into the overturned car and tried to calm Brown, who was suspended upside-down in the driver's seat.
Allan crawled in through the back passenger-side window. A body camera captures video of Allan trying to calm Brown, who was regaining consciousness.
The video shows Brown starting to struggle, shout and swear. Prosecutors say Brown pulled a gun from his rear waistband and shot Allan.
Allan, 38, joined the Southport Police Department in 2011 and is the first Southport officer to be killed in the line of duty. On his last morning alive, Allan walked his then-6-year-old son to schoolfor his first day of kindergarten, his widow Stacy Allan testified.
Stoner on Feb.11 stunned Allan's family when he dismissed the life without parole enhancement Brown had been facing. Stoner ruled that prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Brown knew Allan was a police officer when he fired the handgun.
Stoner heard the case because Brown waived his right to a jury trial in exchange for the state's agreement to dismiss a possible death penalty charge.
James Allan said he disagreed with the prosecutor's decision to dismiss the death penalty. He wanted the case to be heard by a jury. He said he believes the justice system has let him down.
"I never expected to lose a son, not in this way," James Allan said. "Never expected to bury my child, not in this way. Never thought I would have justice taken away this way."
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on Twitter: @vicryc.
WRTV Senior Digital Content Producer Andrew Smith assisted with this report.
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