In all critical incidents involving the Evansville Police Department, we are committed 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 E. Louisiana St. The officer involved is Nicholas Helfert, 2X1536. Officer Helfert has been with the Evansville Police Department since November 2021. Prior to joining the Evansville Police Department, Officer Helfert served with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office for 2 years.
The ongoing investigation includes parallel, but independent criminal and internal investigations. The criminal investigation will be conducted by the Evansville Police Department and reviewed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if any Indiana state statutes were violated. The internal investigation will be conducted by the officer’s chain of command.
The criminal investigation will be conducted by the Adult Investigation Unit. The investigation will include the gathering of statements from all involved parties and witnesses. Investigators will also collect digital and physical evidence. As the target of the criminal investigation, the officer is read their Miranda Rights and afforded their legal protection under the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution. With these rights in mind, the officer cannot be compelled to provide a statement to the investigator. Once the criminal investigation case file has been approved by the Adult Investigation Commander, it is forwarded to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office.
As a part of the internal investigation, the officer will 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. In all EPD use of force investigations, the goal is to establish whether the officers’ actions are objectively reasonable under the standards set in Graham v. Conner.
Once the investigation is completed, the Internal Affairs Unit will review the case file and any other pertinent material relating to the incident and issue a written report to the Chief advising if the department’s rules and regulations were followed. At the conclusion of the internal investigation, all findings are subject to review by the Evansville Police Merit Commission. The Evansville Police Merit Commission is responsible for all hiring and enforcing all discipline, up to and including termination.
Note: in accordance with Garrity v. New Jersey, information gathered during a compelled statement given during an internal investigation cannot be included in the criminal investigation.
Per EPD Policy 359.01, every officer directly involved in the use-of-force that causes death or serious bodily injury or who discharged a firearm in a manner that was likely to have caused death or serious bodily injury shall be assigned three consecutive days of administrative leave. Immediately following the incident, the officer must undergo blood-alcohol and drug testing. Prior to returning to duty after a critical incident, officers must also attend a counseling session by a licensed mental health professional to ensure they are fit to return to duty.
The criminal and internal investigations described above are still ongoing. Anyone with information into this incident is asked to contact the Adult Investigation Unit at 812-436 7979.