Arizona man killed by Ionia deputies

IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - A man from Arizona was shot to death by an Ionia County deputy Friday after he wounded two others and fired at officers near the Ionia Free Fairgrounds.

The shooter's name will not be released until his family is notified.

The two wounded people were treated and released from Sparrow Hospital.

One of the victims - who did not want to go on-camera - told 24 Hour News 8 there was no rhyme nor reason was he was shot in the hands and side.

Authorities went to a home in the 900 block of Main to check on someone there around 10:30 a.m. No one answered the door. As they turned to leave, the suspect came out the back door with a shotgun, fired at two people across the street, and ran back into the house.

Back-up, including deputies from the Ionia County Sheriff's Department, soon arrived.

The suspect walked out the door of the house and started walking down the sidewalk, shooting at an Ionia deputy.

He missed.

The deputy returned fire and hit the man in the chest. He died at the hospital.

Ashley Fox witnessed the incident.

"I heard the sound of fireworks, or what I thought was fireworks," she told 24 Hour News 8. But when she looked out her front window, she saw a man on the ground

"I pretty much saw his head hit the ground. I thought maybe he got hurt from a setting off a firework, but I looked off to the side and I saw cops cutting through the yard of my neighbor with their guns drawn," she said.

Witness John Jacobsen told 24 Hour News 8 he heard something around 11:15 a.m. and about 15-20 minutes after that he heard 6-8 shots in the 800 block of W. Main near Yeomans.

Jacobsen told 24 Hour News 8 he saw multiple police vehicles drive up his hill, and he saw "automatic rifles and guns drawn." He said he heard the gunshots and then saw more police vehicles.

Jacobsen said an officer told him an armed man was down the road and he should stay close to his home. He said the suspect had used his weapon.

Another neighbor told 24 Hour News 8 the police were at the shooter's house Thursday night, and that the incident was part of an ongoing dispute between neighbors. Police were tight-lipped about these details.

The shooting happened after other bizarre behavior from the suspect at 7 a.m.

Judy Swartz answered a knock at her door, and a very agitated man told her he needed to see her husband, who's a dentist. He shower her the dental crowns he claimed he removed with a pair of pliers.

She's an attorney who has dealt with clients that have mental health issues. She told 24 Hour News 8 the man said he was "hearing voices and I don't normally hear voices. I just want someone to tell me whether or not I've been poisoned.

She thought about calling the public safety department or Community Mental Health, but didn't think they could do much.

"At that point he wasn't threatening to me and, other than pulling his teeth out, he wasn't saying he was going to do anything to himself," she said.