Mearkle, a Hummelstown police officer, was free on bail Tuesday after being charged and arraigned in the Feb. 2 shooting death of David A. Kassick, a 59-year-old South Hanover Township man whom she pursued after she had tried to pull him over on a traffic stop.
Police said Mearkle, 36, pursued Kassick to a home in the township. Police said a Taser video shows Mearkle deployed the Taser and struck Kassick with it. Kassick fell to the ground and was told to show his hands. Police said he tried to pull the Taser probes off at which point Mearkle could not see his left hand. Mearkle fired two rounds into Kassick's back, police said.