i would evac first.
if old ladies who break their legs going down the slide, are going to sue the company/you later, that's another issue.
if the indications are present and, AND making sure the bottle lights are illuminated, i would evac. esp if the guy behind the panel is dragging his feet about giving you positive indications.
you could solicit for opinions about your fuselage from the tower, you could ask the cabin crew about the state of the cabin, but that is valuable time spent.