EVANSVILLE — A doctor with expertise in exertional sickling – the condition that was reported to have killed Vanderburgh County deputy Asson Hacker last year after a botched mixed-martial-arts training fight – said Hacker may have lived had instructors called off the bout sooner.
Dr. Randy Eichner, a retired professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, made the statement to the Courier & Press after a report published Tuesday by the Associated Press cast doubt on the official cause of death in Hacker’s case, claiming that violent training tactics led to it.
Hacker died March 2, 2023, mere hours after he fought Knox County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Mike Fisher at an Evansville mixed-martial arts gym. It was part of what law enforcement call “the Big Fight,” according to a since-filed wrongful death lawsuit.
Hacker, 33, battled Fisher as part of his Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy training, according to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson. The academy, commonly referred to by its acronym SWILEA, is operated by the City of Evansville and its police department.