No charges filed in trooper-involved shooting in Crawford County

CRAWFORD COUNTY — Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney Sierra Koch said a Michigan State Police trooper's use of deadly force in a Feb 3 shooting was justified.

A Tawas man was killed in a trooper-involved shooting in Beaver Creek Township in Crawford County. A state police trooper and cadet responded to a vehicle in a ditch on northbound I-75. State police say the car had been driven off of the freeway and into a ditch.

The prosecutor said the trooper observed verbal and non-verbal clues that made him suspect David Stockton was operating the car while intoxicated.

State police said Stockton refused to do roadside sobrieties, but agreed to do a preliminary breath test. When the trooper returned with the machine, Stockton became increasingly uncooperative and refused to leave the car or comply with the trooper’s instructions.

The trooper informed Stockton he was under arrest. Koch noted that Stockton then pulled a gun out while the trooper told him to stop and that he was going to shoot him if he did not. She said Stockton told the trooper to “shoot” him.

Koch said Stockton pointed the gun toward the trooper which caused the trooper to believe his life was in danger and then shot and killed Stockton.

The trooper was placed on administrative leave after the incident and the trooper's name was redacted from Koch's statement, which was released on Feb. 22.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: No charges filed in trooper-involved shooting in Crawford County