Family pleads for answers two weeks after man shot by Allegan County sheriff's deputy
MONTEREY TWP. — Standing at the spot where her son was shot and killed by an Allegan County Sheriff's Office deputy, Kelly Nagle embraced family and friends and pleaded for answers about how her son died.
Joseph "Joey" Nagle, 22, was pulled over on 26th Street by an Allegan County Sheriff's Office deputy on suspicion of impaired driving at 10 p.m. on June 16. He was shot in the chest during an altercation with the deputy, according to statements by Michigan State Police. The agency is investigating the shooting.
"I don't understand, it's been two weeks," Kelly Nagle said. "Why can't I see my son's body? Is this typical? Does it usually take this long?"
Thursday marked two weeks after the shooting. Friends and family wore "#Justice4Joey" t-shirts and handed out bumper stickers to all who attended the vigil at the roadside where Nagle was shot.
Family members remembered Nagle as "one of a kind" and talked fondly of his care for his brother after their father died last year. Nagle was a star wrestler at Comstock Park High School. He had been studying to become a police officer, but family members said he had dropped that plan to focus on a job at FedEx.
More: Police: Man shot and killed by Allegan deputy 'showed signs of impairment'
The deputy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the incident. Michigan State Police said Nagle was not armed with a weapon.
There is no known video of the shooting. Allegan County Sheriff's Office deputies are not yet equipped with body cameras, though the agency had recently taken steps toward purchasing body cameras.
Allegan County Commissioners in January approved a contract with Axon Enterprises to outfit deputies with cameras.
Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack, a vocal advocate for the family of Patrick Lyoya, killed by a Grand Rapids police officer in April, attended the vigil and told reporters he has written to Allegan County Commissioners about the incident.
"Seeing what has happened to Joey Nagle, as we make sure his life is never forgotten, I think making sure all officers in Michigan have a body cam on is something we should do in the name and memory of Joey Nagle," Womack said.
"I don't want any other family to have to go through this. Ever," Kelly Nagle said. "Some kind of change, something has to come out of this, and if they needed my star athlete, my golden boy to do it, then this had to happen. I know it's in God's hands."
The deputy who shot Nagle is on administrative leave while MSP conducts an investigation.
— Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Family holds vigil for man shot by Allegan County deputy
