JACKSON, Mich. — Three Jackson Police officers are in the clear for a shooting two months ago.
On Thursday the county prosecutor ruled they were justified when they shot a man to death at the Southridge Park Townhomes.
In the seven-page report, Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka details why charges will not be pressed against the officers involved in the January 28th shooting. The prosecutor says Joey Ramirez's behavior was not only a threat to officers but the public too.
"Obviously, he definitely was a threat to citizens and could use the gun to harm a citizen. So the officer was legally justified to use deadly force to stop a fleeing felon."
Jackson Police Officers Patrick Rose, Tyler Carpenter and Sgt. Wes Stanton say Joey Ramirez was trying to get into his ex-girlfriend's apartment when they arrived that night..
"Unbeknownst to Officer Rose, Joey Ramirez is hiding in the little recessed area in the shadows and as soon as the officer flashes his flashlight, Ramirez the opens fire," Jarzynka said.
Initial reports said Officer Rose was shot. But it turned out he got a minor injury when he fell. He returned fire and shot Ramirez in the back. Ramirez went down, which is when Officer Carpenter and Sgt. Stanton confronted him.
"They order him to show his hands, put down the gun, instead, what it clearly shows is that Joey Ramirez pointed the gun at the officers and fired," Jarzynka explained.
They returned fire, killing Ramirez. The prosecutor says body camera footage and shell casings at the scene helped him make the decision to clear the officers. In addition, Ramirez told his mother 10 days earlier that he "was going to get into a police shootout and die."
State Police were a part of the investigation. They say they're forced to think quickly and rely on their training in a situation like this.
"We're forced to make split second decisions that literally are the difference between life and death or the safety of ourselves and the general public. You have no idea what is going through the person who is armed’ s mind," Lt. Darren Green said.
Police say Ramirez had a history of domestic violence and stalking. He was not legally allowed to be in possession of a gun because of his felony record.
Ramirez's mother told investigators her son had undiagnosed mental-health problems.
