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Lake Odessa man charged in shooting of pro-life canvasser in Ionia County

Richard Harvey has been charged with three counts following the incident on Sept. 20.

IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ionia man who shot at a woman while passing out pro-life literature has been charged, according to the Ionia County Prosecutor Kyle Butler. 

Richard Harvey, 74, has been charged with three counts following the incident on Sept. 20. Harvey was arraigned at 2 p.m. Friday.

Those charges include:

  • Assault with a Deadly Weapon
  • Careless Discharge of a Weapon
  • Reckless Use of a Firearm

Harvey was given a $10,000 bond cash 

Joan Jacobson, 84, was in Lake Odessa on Sept. 20, visiting homes to pass out literature on Proposal 3, when she was shot while on the property of Sharon and Richard Harvey on Bippley Road.

Jacobson sat down with 13 On Your Side Thursday and tells us she was shocked and stunned by the incident.

She says the bullet entered the top of her right shoulder and exited out her upper back, near her spine.

Jacobson immediately got in her car and drove herself to a nearby police station. She was later taken to Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Jacobson's attorney, David Kallman, said Richard Harvey admitted that he fired a "warning shot" and then claimed he accidentally shot Jacobson with a second shot.

“There was no justification for shooting Ms. Jacobson. Mr. Harvey admitted firing a warning shot, so he knew the gun was loaded when he pointed it at my client," said David Kallman, Senior Legal Counsel for Great Lakes Justice Center. "If it was truly an accident, why did neither of the Harvey’s express any remorse or even offer to assist Ms. Jacobson or call 911 immediately after shooting her? The answer is obvious: it was not an accident and Mr. Harvey should be held accountable.”

Police haven't confirmed the reason Harvey fired the gun or if it was connected to his political beliefs. 

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