Police kill gunman after club incident

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Michigan State Police troopers shot to death a 29-year-old man outside a Grand Rapids nightclub after he wounded two people inside the bar.

Chucky Lee Jackson was shot to death after firing at two state troopers. They returned fire, striking Jackson, who stumbled outside the club and died a very short distance away.

For that reason Grand Rapids Police are handling the investigation inside, while the Michigan State Police handle the investigation outside the bar.

Investigators told 24 Hour News 8 an altercation inside the Lady Godiva club preceded the shootings.

Grand Rapids police were called to a shooting inside the bar at 234 Market Ave SW at 1:25 a.m. When officers arrived, they were met by several New Years revelers who were frantic and reporting that at least two people were hurt inside.

"I was upstairs and I looked over the balcony and I heard a whole bunch of gunshots and I just took off running and I hid behind a couch," said eyewitness Shandon Davis. She was a customer at the club when the shootings took place.

"They don't pat nobody down, they don't do nothing," she said. "That's probably what it was. They have no security in here or nothing." She estimated "probably 10 to 15" gunshots were fired inside the club before police arrived.

City officers then learned that two Michigan State Police Troopers had been conducting a traffic stop near the club and were flagged down by patrons of the bar moments before city officers were dispatched.

The troopers went to the bar where they were confronted by a lone man with a handgun who was leaving the club on the Market Ave. side of the building. The troopers chased the man through a hallway and exchanged gunfire as they ran after him.

Jackson, a Grand Rapids resident, left the building through a door on the east side and ran across a parking lot to Finney Ave. SW where he collapsed and died.

Two people were injured by the man in the club. One, an employee at the club, was shot in the neck and had to undergo surgery. That person is in critical condition at this time. The other was a customer who sustained injuries that police described as non-life threatening. He was also taken to the hospital and is listed as being stable.

The state police troopers "were in the right place at the right time," said MSP Lt. Chris McIntire. "Nobody else had to get injured."

The case investigation is nearly complete enough to turn over to the prosecutors office.

"I'll tell you this isn't something you should expect an opinion on tomorrow or next week," Kent County prosecutor David Schieber told 24 Hour News 8. "It's a very thorough and deliberate process."

In 1997, Jackson was charged in a felony weapons case, and also had a number of civil lawsuits for not paying bills.

Lt. McIntire said the troopers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in these cases.

The Lady Godiva is owned by Mark London, who opened the club in 2006 despite a battle with the city over what kind of club could open in that location. London originally wanted an all-nude strip club that the city wanted to regulate.

Mayor George Heartwell said the shooting isn't isolated to an adult club. He said it could have happened anywhere. "The problem is not in the nature of the entertainment," the mayor told 24 Hour News 8. "The problem is in the fact that we have too many guns and people that are using them for purposes that are illegal."

The names of the victims and the officers are not being released at this time until after family members can be notified.

Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call the Grand Rapids police department or Silent Observer

24 Hour News 8 is following this story and will bring you details as they become available.