JOHNSTON, Iowa — The investigation into a fatal shooting at a Johnston apartment building back in May has wrapped up and officials say the shooter acted in self-defense.

In a joint news release from the Johnston Police Department and the Polk County Attorney’s Office, officials said Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham determined Dalton Meier used reasonable force to protect himself and others from harm on May 9.

Police were called to the 4700 block of NW 62nd Avenue around 11:30 that night and found 62-year-old Steven Miller suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.  He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died of his injuries. 

Witnesses told WHO 13 that Miller was being aggressive and attacked another man. Meier tried to intervene and the witness said that’s when Miller grabbed a knife and began chasing some of the witnesses.

“He did have his gun raised and told him ‘stop please, please don’t do this, please stop’, and he just charged at him like a wild animal,” Meier’s wife Shelby said. “He just kept coming. He wouldn’t stop even the first shot he still stayed standing.”

The investigation was conducted by the Johnston Police Department with help from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Lab and the Ankeny Police Department’s Crime Scene Technician.