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Shooting victim under the influence, state police say

Michigan State Police have determined that Joseph Nagle of Comstock Park was under the influence of cocaine and marijuana when he was fatally shot June 16 by an Allegan County Sheriff’s deputy after a traffic stop in Monterey Township. .

State Police, in its investigation, reported Nagle had been acting oddly and was stopped by the deputy for driving in an irrational manner. Sobriety tests showed signs of impairment and he started a fight with the deputy when he was told he was under arrest. Nagle was shot once in the chest during the altercation.

His mother told investigators she believed his behavior had been influenced by drugs, which seemed to be the most plausible explanation for his behavior.

One person interviewed in the investigation indicated Nagle had been in a “downward spiral” since his father died a couple of years ago. She said that he had been using cocaine and meth as well as selling cocaine.

Area citizens over the past three months have demanded answers about the incident because the deputy fid not have a body cam and there were suspicions about wrongful death.

Nagle was a standout wrestler at Comstock Park and a former teammate confirmed that Nagle was acting very strange and kept offering friends and acquaintances cocaine. The former teammate said that Nagle was upset by persistent refusals to take any.

A FedEx co-worker also told police Nagle had mentioned that he likes to use cocaine.

The investigation determined that the deputy had a bloody nose, a gouge behind his left ear, scratches on his neck, cuts on both hands, swelling of the face and a bloody nose after the altercation,

Allegan County Prosecutor Myrene Koch has not yet decided whether the officer was justified in shooting Nagle or whether charges are warranted.

8 Comments

  • Well there sure was a lot of impatient if not pot stirring Grand Rapids media coverage on this unfortunate event.
    The MSP report is definitely worth a read. If you can get all the previous press out coverage out of your head, you might conclude that there was “justice for Joey” adequately served with respect to his actions on that particular night.
    I wish he could have been adequately served by the people around him long before.

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