In connection with his death, a video was released showing the deputy hacker in training

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Newly released video shows law enforcement training exercise surrounding the death of Vanderburgh County Deputy Asson Hacker.

The workout, known as “The Big Fight,” is the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Hacker’s widow.

Click here to read the full complaint.

The lawsuit describes it as a martial arts-style fighting circuit. The Big Fight is a mandatory training exercise for Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (SWILEA) trainees.

The training took place on March 2, 2023. Hacker was one of 60 SWILEA trainees who took part. In battle, Hacker can be seen struggling to keep up with his trainer, Michael Fisher.

At the end of the seven-minute fight, Hackers are seen falling to the ground. It is unclear whether this is due to exhaustion or medical reasons.

Hacker was taken to the hospital, where he later died. As we reported, the coroner is giving his verdict Cause of death was “exertion sickling” due to sickle cell anemia.

The wrongful death lawsuit seeks financial damages for Hacker's death and a jury trial.

In a statement, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers said no charges were filed after reviewing the recording of the fight. You can read her full statement below:

I received the ISP file for review around 05/16/2024. At this point I receive notification that it has been received and is ready for my review.

We reviewed the file and found no concerns about criminal activity or signs of wrongdoing. We made the decision shortly after receiving and reviewing the ISP investigation file.

The District Attorney is responsible for reviewing all allegations and investigative reports of possible criminal incidents in Vanderburgh County, including possible misconduct by law enforcement. Specifically, the sheriff's office has the Indiana State Police conduct an independent investigation and then forwards that file to the district attorney's office for review. We look for conduct that falls outside the duties and responsibilities of law enforcement and would constitute the level of a criminal offense.

In this case, we were unable to identify any criminal or even suspicious behavior on the part of the law enforcement authorities. I have personally reviewed this file, including the footage of Asson Hacker during the training exercise, and have determined the following: I have determined that this is routine training that all of our law enforcement agencies participate in as a necessary part of their job duties. The training is videotaped for each officer. The video shows Hacker wrestling with another officer while both are wearing protective gear. It's a guided fight (with a coach, a defensive tactics instructor on the mat next to them, and there to instruct Hacker on what steps to take). for training purposes). In the video, Hacker lands on the other officer and handcuffs him to end the training exercise. Hacker doesn't appear to be in distress – he appears to be speaking, breathing and moving normally for someone who is training. The training exercise appears to be well controlled and therefore did not cause me any concerns. I've seen a lot of body camera struggles and the exercise pales in comparison to the real struggles officers sometimes face in the field. Several other officers were also present at the exercise for training in defensive tactics.

Upon reviewing the file, I learned that Asson Hacker was given appropriate medical attention and taken to the hospital at the first sign of distress. We also know from the autopsy that Asson Hacker died of complications related to sickle cell anemia. It was also reported to medical staff and thus, during the investigation of this case, it was reported that Hacker undertook an intensive exercise program – starting at 5 a.m. daily, he said, took several nutritional supplements and chose to eat only 1 meal a day to take (at night in the evening). No trauma was noted to his body or head.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office is not mentioned in the lawsuit, but Sheriff Noah Robinson still issued a statement about the release of the hacking video and the lawsuit. You can read that below:

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office continues to mourn the tragic and untimely death of Deputy Asson Hacker. His loss is deeply felt by all who knew him and our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.

Although the Sheriff's Office is not a named party in the lawsuit filed by Deputy Hacker's estate, we are closely monitoring developments in this case. We believe that many of the allegations contained in the Complaint are either inaccurate or misleading. We expect that the defendants in this case will present a compelling defense to ensure that the facts are presented fully and fairly in court.

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