Man shot by police at Sparrow facility pleads guilty in plea deal
A man shot by a Michigan State Police trooper multiple times outside a Sparrow Hospital facility last year pleaded guilty to a firearms charge in Ingham County Circuit Court Wednesday.
Gregory McDowell Jr., 47, pleaded guilty to one count of felony firearm after Attorney General Dana Nessel's office said he pointed a gun at police in August 2021 at Sparrow St. Lawrence. He faces a mandatory five-year prison sentence.
Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina accepted McDowell's guilty plea on Wednesday for a second offense on a felony firearm charge. McDowell is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 15 at the Ingham County 30th Circuit Court.
A request for comment was left with Michigan State Police. McDowell is currently imprisoned. He was sentenced to two to 10 years in February after he pleaded guilty to a retail crime charge, according to state prison records.
Prosecutors initially filed eight charges against McDowell because of the Sparrow incident: felonious assault; assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer; reckless driving; failure to stop after a collision; and four weapons charges. Seven were dropped as part of the plea deal.
Nessel's office said in a release that a law enforcement task force was seeking McDowell on an assault with intent to murder warrant and for escaping probation when the Aug. 26, 2021, shooting occurred.
Lansing police saw McDowell driving a tan SUV and pursued him, according to a press release.
"McDowell crashed the vehicle, later identified as stolen, into several other vehicles near the Sparrow Behavioral Health Center in Lansing before fleeing the scene on foot with a firearm," according to the release.
At the time, Michigan State Police troopers said they were pursuing a "wanted fugitive" whose vehicles troopers recognized.
The pursuit led Sparrow's St. Lawrence behavioral health hospital to enter lockdown for several hours after police shot at McDowell and his SUV around 1:42 p.m. at the hospital.
What happened that day?:Update: Police officer shot suspect during incident near Sparrow St. Lawrence Thursday afternoon
Michigan State Police troopers found McDowell under a Sparrow security vehicle and ordered him to drop his weapon multiple times, Nessel's office said. When McDowell "took the firearm from his left hand and transferred it to his right hand and extended his arm toward the officers," he was shot several times by a trooper, according to the release.
McDowell was hospitalized with critical injuries after the shooting and Michigan State Police took over the investigation. The agency placed an officer on leave for shooting and injuring McDowell, following MSP's policies.
"After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the MSP trooper who fired the shots at McDowell used reasonable force and no criminal charges were filed," the release said.
Body camera footage released:An MSP trooper shot a man near Sparrow St. Lawrence in August. Here’s what happened
According to police reports and witness statements, McDowell had appeared distressed and put the gun in his mouth.
"I'm scared, help me help me I'm not trying to hurt you, please just get me help," according to the records.
Police attempted to de-escalate the situation multiple times to no avail, according to the records. The trooper who fired his gun claimed McDowell had fired at them. Only shell casings from the trooper's weapon were found.
Nessel's office did not say how many times McDowell was shot.
MSP Detective Sgt. William Arndt reported finding 11 shell casings near where the trooper had been standing, according to his report.
Sparrow Spokesperson John Foren confirmed at the time no patients or Sparrow staff were injured.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Man shot by police at Sparrow facility pleads guilty in plea deal
