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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The shooting death of a Nanticoke man by state police earlier this month following a manhunt in a kidnapping case was justified, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said in a statement released Friday afternoon.Jordan Oliver, 20, &#8220;continuously indicated he had a firearm, positioned his concealed hand against her neck, and threatened to shoot the victim,&#8221; 15-year-old Samara Derwin, Salavantis said in announcing that investigation into the Dec. 1 incident has been completed.Oliver was shot by members of the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) on the night of Dec. 1. Derwin escaped unharmed.No firearm was found on Oliver, the statement indicates.&#8220;The victim additionally advised that she believed Oliver had a firearm. As a result, the victim appeared to be in immediate danger of death and the use of deadly force by the SERT members has been ruled justified,&#8221; the DA added.<a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/764565/teenage-kidnapping-victim-describes-relationship-abuse" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">In a previous interview with the Times Leader</a>, Derwin &#8212; who is not identified by name in the DA&#8217;s report &#8212; told a reporter she did not think Oliver &#8220;had a gun on him,&#8221; but &#8220;he was acting as if he did.&#8221;Police have said Oliver kidnapped Derwin at knifepoint from the Greater Nanticoke High School parking lot earlier that afternoon in a stolen Nanticoke Police SUV after spraying officers with mace. An hours-long manhunt followed, with an Amber Alert issued for Derwin later in the day.Kidnapping describedAccording to Salavantis:A witness called Luzerne County 911 at about 3:30 p.m. reporting that her friend, a 15-year-old female, had been taken at knifepoint. When police arrived, they encountered Oliver holding a knife to the minor female&#8217;s throat.Two Nanticoke officers arrived on scene and initially were able to deescalate the situation, allowing the female to get free and into the police car.&#8220;When officers attempted to take Oliver into custody, he fought, sprayed them with mace he had concealed on him, and fled into the nearby, fully marked police SUV,&#8221; the DA&#8217;s statement indicates.Previously filed court documents state that Oliver resisted the officers even after a Taser was used on him.&#8220;At that time, it appeared that the female had not entered the vehicle as Oliver could be seen driving and the passenger seat was vacant,&#8221; it continues.Oliver drove the vehicle directly at one officer who discharged his weapon and narrowly escaped around the front to the passenger side, the statement adds. One of the three rounds fired is believed to have ricocheted off the center console and grazed Oliver&#8217;s leg, the statement adds.That use of force also was ruled justified, as the officer was &#8220;at immediate risk of death or serious bodily injury,&#8221; Salavantis stated.In her interview with the Times Leader following the incident, Derwin told a reporter that Oliver made her bandage him up and later drive the car.&#8220;He was complaining that he&#8217;d been shot, and that he had pepper spray in his eyes,&#8221; she said.As the search got underway, police learned that Oliver had three violations of a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order obtained by his ex-girlfriend and six violations of a PFA order obtained by Derwin earlier this year, the DA&#8217;s statement indicates.Derwin said she had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Oliver for more than a year but were not together at the time of the Dec. 1 incident.Derwin&#8217;s mother, Kathleen Minsavage, who sought the PFA on her daughter&#8217;s behalf in May, told the Times Leader that Oliver had attempted to call the girl the previous day, but she hung up.On or about Nov. 27, 2019, Oliver had been released from prison after being arrested for assaulting his father, the DA added.Shooting in Warrior RunThe DA&#8217;s statement continued:At approximately 10 p.m. Dec. 1, SERT located Oliver and the teen on foot in a wooded area of Warrior Run.SERT yelled to Oliver to stop. He grabbed Derwin with one arm around her neck and his other hand tucked underneath his arm, indicating he had a firearm. He took her to the ground, shielding his body with hers.Oliver threatened to shoot if police did not leave. According to the members of SERT, the female also told police Oliver had a firearm, the statement indicates.&#8220;The negotiator repeatedly attempted to persuade Oliver to show his hands, release the victim and surrender. He refused and continued to threaten to kill the victim,&#8221; Salavantis said.&#8220;Supervisors authorized deadly force unless Oliver began to surrender. The decision was made based on the victim being held hostage, his continued failure to respond to negotiations, and information from both Oliver and the victim that he possessed a firearm,&#8221; the DA added. &#8220;Oliver&#8217;s position and threats appeared to place the hostage in danger of immediate death.&#8221;No firearm found&#8220;Oliver did not respond to negotiator requests and kept his hand under his arm against the victim&#8217;s neck,&#8221; the statement indicates. &#8220;A countdown to fire began and multiple SERT members coordinated simultaneous deadly force.&#8221;<a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/764632/autopsy-oliver-died-from-multiple-gunshots" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As previously reported</a>, an autopsy on Oliver&#8217;s body died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Luzerne County Coroner Frank Hacken.&#8220;Despite Oliver&#8217;s threats and the information from the victim, a firearm was not found,&#8221; the DA stated.In an interview after the incident, Oliver&#8217;s father, Sean Oliver, said he felt his son&#8217;s shooting &#8220;was 100% unjustifiable.&#8221;No one appeared to be home when the Times Leader returned to the Oliver home on Friday after the DA&#8217;s statement was released.Derwin described Oliver&#8217;s last moments for a reporter when visited earlier this month.&#8220;He [Oliver] told the troopers that if they came any closer, he would shoot me,&#8221; Derwin said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t even think he had a gun on him, but he was acting as if he did.&#8221;Derwin said the she told Oliver to let him go or else he would die, to which Oliver allegedly replied, &#8220;I want to die.&#8221;Oliver and a trooper then got into an argument, Derwin added, at which time he was shot and killed. She was unharmed, but Derwin &#8212; who had a protection from abuse order against Oliver &#8212; said he coerced her into sex during the kidnapping, threatening to kill her if she didn&#8217;t comply.&#8220;The victim related to investigators that Oliver also assaulted her in the woods after fleeing the Nanticoke High School, that she was in fear during the incident and never felt she could escape safely,&#8221; the DA stated.In their earlier interview, Derwin and her mother stated they had earlier hoped Oliver would receive treatment after they obtained the PFA.&#8220;He was mentally ill, he needed help,&#8221; Derwin said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t want him to die.&#8221;<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Oliver </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Jordan-Oliver-17.jpg</photo0><caption0>Oliver </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Roger DuPuisrdupuis@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div>

DA: PSP justified in kidnapper’s shooting death