DES MOINES — In a report issued yesterday, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the August 21, 2025, fatal shooting of Steven Funk by a Knoxville Police Department sergeant was legally justified.
The Attorney General’s conclusion was based on a review and investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The investigation found that on August 21, 2025, Sergeant Joseph Weppler and Officer Matthew Eagleton of the Knoxville Police Department responded to a 911 call and encountered Steven Funk attempting to murder his wife. Sergeant Weppler fired on Steven Funk who died of his injuries.
At 11:13 p.m. on August 21, 2025, Marion County dispatch received a 911 call from Andrea Funk. She stated that her husband, Steven Funk, had crashed his car into the house, rupturing the gas line, and was trying to get in the house in violation of a no contact order. The phone line remained open. Andrea frantically screamed for help as she heard Funk gain entry into the house. Funk beat on the bedroom door until he was able to gain entry into the bedroom itself, where he began to strangle Andrea. When the officers who arrived at the house got to the bedroom door, they could hear Andrea screaming, then gagging. Funk continued to strangle Andrea while preventing officers from getting into the room by blocking the door with his body. When Sgt. Weppler was able to squeeze partway through the door, he could see Funk with his hand still around Andrea’s throat. When Funk refused Sgt. Weppler’s command to stop, Sgt. Weppler shot him. Funk later died from his injuries.
After the incident, officers determined that Funk had driven his car east down the alley and crashed into the northwest corner of the house, on its rear side. He had torn off the video doorbell by the north door, broken a panel off the backyard fence, and kicked in the back door on the west side of the house. There was an empty beer can in his car and multiple beer cans, both empty and full, in the hotel room where he had been staying. Area law-enforcement were familiar with Funk as he had previously served as a Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy. In recent years law enforcement had dealt with Funk’s being intoxicated numerous times. During one of those instances, he had possessed of a firearm. It was learned that within the last two years that Funk’s drinking and mental health had gotten progressively worse.
The report is issued under the Attorney General’s independent authority under Iowa Code section 13.12 to investigate or prosecute conduct of law enforcement that results in death.
A copy of the report is available here.
