NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Michigan State Police are now involved and investigating a deputy-involved shooting out of Berrien County that left a man dead.
The Berrien County Sheriff's Office says around 10:45 p.m. Thursday they received a 911 call for a man with a knife at the Franklin Woods Mobile Home Park in Niles Charter Township.
When they arrived, deputies found the man, whom they later identified as 28-year-old Chaz Nathan McGowen of Benton Harbor, with the knife.
The sheriff's office says deputies tried to talk to McGowen and deescalate the situation and deployed less-lethal rounds when he refused to drop the knife.
Deputies say he then charged at them, and they were forced to shoot at him. They performed life-saving measures at the scene, but McGowen died from his injuries.
Michigan State Police are performing an investigation into the deputy-involved shooting incident.
The sheriff's office says names of the two Berrien County deputies are not being released until MSP's investigation has been completed and reviewed by the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office.
Both deputies are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
