A Kentwood police officer who fatally shot a man in April will not face charges.
In a 15-page release, Kent County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Forsyth says Officer Darrin Cline acted in defense of another officer.
In conclusion, it is important in cases of this nature to reiterate the issue: whether Officer Cline acted within the proper scope of the doctrine of defense of others. It is not a question of whether he could have chosen another course of action. It is now whether, with the full benefit of hindsight, the death of Mr. Gulley could have been avoided.
Rather, the question is simpler: was the death the result of an honest and reasonable belief in the need to act in defense of Officer Hoornstra. A review of the facts, and an application of the law to those facts, indicates that the answer to the question is yes. The Kent County Prosecutor's Office will accordingly decline to prosecute Officer Cline for his actions on the night of April 8, 2016.
Officer Cline shot and killed Lamont Gulley shortly after arriving to a domestic call just before 9 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the Pheasant Ridge Apartments. Police say when they arrived on the scene, they noticed a large amount of blood through a window of the home.
- Earlier: 5-year veteran officer shoots, kills Kentwood homicide suspect
- More: Neighbor: Something was wrong before fatal domestic dispute
When officers made entry, they found Casey Kempker, 41, with severe injuries. The officers administered first-aid, but she died at the scene.
Kempker's husband, Gulley, fled the home before officers arrived. He was seen by an officer at Edington Drive and Breton Road. Officers responded to the area and confronted him.
Gulley had a knife in his possession and made threatening statements. After multiple attempts to take him into custody, he continued to resist. Forsyth says Officer Cline knew Gulley was dangerous. "He knows he stabbed somebody, he knows he fled the scene, he knows he's told him numerous times to drop the knife and said just shoot me, so he's acting irrational."
Gulley made threatening movements towards the officers and was shot by Officer Cline. He was transported to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.
