The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department has released body camera footage of a deputy-involved shooting on June 30 in Niles Township.
Sheriff Chuck Heit called a press conference Monday to release the video and more information on the incident. He said Deputy Cal Landon, who’s been with the department for two years, was on patrol in the area of Third Street and Fort Street around 6 p.m. on Monday, June 30 when he saw a parked vehicle with its rear window blown out. He made contact with a man and a woman who were near the vehicle, and when he asked the man for identification, the man ran off.
A foot chase followed, at the end of which Deputy Landon pointed his taser at the suspect. Body cam footage shows the suspect then producing a firearm and shooting at the deputy. The deputy returned fire, killing the suspect, now identified as 48-year-old Joshua Coffey of South Bend.
Heit said Monday that Deputy Landon followed his training.
“Deputy Landon’s ability to quickly transition from his taser to his firearm allowed him to neutralize the threat of his life and others,” Heit said. “It is only by God’s grace that Deputy Landon was not shot. His actions reflect both personal courage and the quality of our training.”
Shortly after the shooting, another deputy arrived and confirmed Coffey was dead. Heit said Michigan State Police are now reviewing the incident and Landon is on leave, as is usual policy.
“As a sheriff, I’m going to let the investigation play out, but I stand 100% behind Deputy Landon and the actions he took.”
Deputy Landon was not injured. The woman who was with Coffey fled in the vehicle, but Heit said she was later found. He could not say more about why Coffey ran.
Below is the full body cam footage released by the sheriff’s department.
