Sheriff’s recruit forced to fight veteran officer in ‘fighting circle’ dies, suit says
An Indiana woman is suing after she says her 33-year-old husband was forced to fight a veteran officer during a training course, then died.
A lawsuit was filed on Sept. 3 against the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Evansville Police Department, the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and several individuals.
McClatchy News reached out to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Evansville Police Department and the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy for comment on Sept. 10.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment. The Evansville Police Department and the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy did not immediately respond.
In December 2022, Asson Hacker was recruited to join the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. As part of the requirements, Hacker had to complete a training program by the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (SWILEA), according to a lawsuit filed by his wife, Kourtney Hacker.
On March 2, 2023, SWILEA held a training event called the “Big Fight” in Evansville, the lawsuit said.
Participating in the Big Fight was mandatory for male recruits to complete the training program, which was required to become a full-time law enforcement officer, the lawsuit said.
“The Big Fight was set up in a fighting circle similar to that of an MMA or UFC style fight,” the lawsuit said.
Hacker was ordered to fight a major with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, who was also an instructor with SWILEA and “had significantly more training in fighting than Hacker,” the lawsuit said.
During the fight, which was filmed, the instructor choked, hit, punched, kicked and body slammed Hacker, the lawsuit said. He also “impeded Hacker’s ability to breathe” at times, according to the suit.
The court document said the instructor used tactics that would be considered excessive force.
“The ‘Big Fight’ was treated as a rite of passage for recruits, and was a hazing-styled exercise, as opposed to a legitimate training exercise,” the lawsuit said.
The fight was supposed to last no longer than five minutes, but the lawsuit said the coach overseeing it did not end the fight and encouraged the two to continue.
After the fight, Hacker was “lying motionless on the fighting surface,” according to the lawsuit.
After several more fights, Hacker was taken to a hospital where he died as a result, the lawsuit said.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office ruled Hacker died of exertional sickling and sickle cell trait, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. Exertional sickling can change the shape of red blood cells, causing them to build up and weaken blood flow, according to the University of Connecticut.
The lawsuit said the defendants “were negligent in their failure to provide immediate and proper medical care to Hacker.”
“The ‘Big Fight’ was not a legitimate training exercise but rather a state sponsored hazing event that created an obviously dangerous situation,” the court document said.
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
Hacker is survived by his wife, Kourtney, and four children, according to his obituary.
“He enjoyed playing sports with his children, spending time with family, weekend getaways with his wife, and he especially loved his boys,” his obituary says.
Evansville is in southwestern Indiana, along the border with Kentucky.
This story was originally published September 10, 2024 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Sheriff’s recruit forced to fight veteran officer in ‘fighting circle’ dies, suit says."
