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Prosecutor: Fatal Eaton County Police Shooting Was Justified

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A prosecutor says two mid-Michigan sheriff's officers were justified in fatally shooting a man who rammed his pickup truck into their vehicles following a chase.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor of Lisa McCormick of Ingham County announced Tuesday that a detective and a deputy from Eaton County "acted reasonably when they used deadly force" against 64-year-old Robert Claude Smith of rural Brookfield Township to defend themselves against a threat of death or serious bodily injury. The shooting occurred Nov. 28

The Ingham County Prosecutor's Office took over the case after Eaton County prosecutors claimed a conflict of interest.

State police say the officers had gone to Smith's home with an arrest warrant charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. One officer suffered minor injuries in the incident.

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