MONTEREY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A man who was shot and killed by an Allegan County deputy in June had cocaine and marijuana in his system the night of the deadly shooting, according to an investigative report by Michigan State Police.
The report, obtained by FOX 17 through a Freedom of Information Request, shows witnesses reported unusual behavior from 22-year-old Joseph Nagle while he was working as a driver for FedEx on the day of the shooting.
Witnesses at Wilderness Expressions said Nagle was at the store the day of the shooting delivering packages. According to the MSP report, employees told Nagle that deliveries go to the back of the store. Witnesses say Nagle said he would bring them to the back of the store only if the three women present “showed him their titties.”
A 73-year-old customer of the nearby Hallmark store reported a similar conversation with Nagle when he delivered a package to her home.
When police went to Nagle’s mother’s house to inform her of the deadly shooting, the report says she mentioned she believed his recent behavior may have been influenced by drugs.
On June 17, police say they got a call from someone who had known the Nagles for more than 15 years. According to the report, the caller said Nagle had “been on a downward spiral since his dad died a couple of years ago.” The caller also told officials Nagle had been using cocaine and meth and had been selling cocaine as well.
Officials also spoke with a former member of Nagle’s high school wrestling team who said he saw Nagle the night before the shooting. During that interview, the man told police Nagle had been acting strange. According to the MSP report, the man reported Nagle kept offering him and a friend cocaine and became upset when they continued to decline. He also stated Nagle was saying “all sorts of non-sensical statements about Kayne West and ‘being in purgatory.’”
Toxicology reports show Nagle tested positive for cocaine, Delta-9 carboxy THC, Delta-9 THC and cannabinoids.
The 22-year-old was pulled over around 10 p.m. on June 16 for suspicion of impaired driving.
According to MSP, when Nagle was told he was under arrest he “immediately began fighting the deputy.”
State police say during the fight, the deputy fired a single gunshot that hit Nagle in the chest.
Michigan State Police confirmed to FOX 17 that there are no witnesses to the shooting aside from the officer.
There is no video of the incident either. Allegan County does not equip deputies with dash cameras or body cameras because they’re in the process of rolling them out after just getting the funding for cameras approved in January of this year.
MSP says there is no evidence that Nagle was armed and no evidence that the deputy used their taser.
The deputy’s name and his account of what happened were redacted from the report.
According to the report, the deputy was bloodied from attempting CPR on Nagle and was heard saying “Come on, man” while doing compressions.
Taser reports show the deputy never used it on Nagle, but it was in adequate working order and he’d used it before — many times.
Statements from first responders in the report detail the deputy’s behavior immediately following the shooting.
Sgt. Scott Johanson with the Gun Lake Tribal Police reported during an interview that the deputy said, “I just kept letting him hit me” shortly after the deadly shooting. Sgt. Johanson reported seeing a number of abrasions and cuts on the deputy.
A firefighter at the scene stated, “I noticed bloody nose, bloody hands from Deputy doing CPR on the patient, and general emotional shock. David Peterman took vitals. While I was inspecting the Deputy, it was noticed he had a gouge behind left ear, scratches on neck, cuts on both hands, swelling of the face, and bloody nose. The officer kept stating he had to stand up because of his leg feeling like it was falling asleep, which he did and I noticed trembling. I asked the Deputy if he wanted to sit back down and he advised no because he had to stand. I observed the Deputy keep shaking his feet while standing to help relieve, which is assumed, the tingling sensation of his legs falling asleep.”
Another first responder said, “When I walked up to officer he was very shaking and upset. I asked what hurt and he said his face and nose. Officer was hit multiple times in the face by victim according to officer. Officer has some swelling and cuts on his face, also had bloody nose, red marks on neck and cut behind his ear and hands. Officer’s hands were bloody from providing CPR to patient/victim. Officer was shaking his head and tears in his eyes. I made contact with officer about 5-10 minutes after on scene.”
Nagle’s family says he was studying to be a police officer at Grand Rapids Community College. He ultimately decided not to go into law enforcement, his family says, because he didn't like guns.
Read the full MSP report:
MSP Nagle Report by WXMI on Scribd
Read additional police reports and toxicology results:
Nagle Reports by WXMI on Scribd
