Candlelight vigil planned for man shot and killed by Allegan County deputy

ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Thursday night in memory of a 22-year-old man who was shot and killed by an Allegan County deputy during a traffic stop.

The vigil is slated to take place at 8 p.m. Thursday at 2673 134th Avenue, northwest of Hopkins, to honor Joey Nagle, of Comstock Park. The vigil site is near where he died.

• Previous coverage:1 dead after shooting involving driver, Allegan County deputy

An Allegan County deputy pulled over Nagle at about 10 p.m. on June 16 on 26th Street, near 136th Avenue. Michigan State Police (MSP) said the deputy stopped Nagle for suspicion of impaired driving.

During sobriety tests, Nagle showed signs of impairment, MSP said in a news release. When the deputy told Nagle he was under arrest, he began fighting the deputy, according to MSP. During the fight, the deputy fired a single gunshot, hitting Nagle in the chest, MSP said. Nagle died at the scene.

The deputy was also injured and was taken to a hospital.

The deputy's patrol car did not have a dash camera. The deputy also did not have a body camera, MSP said.

Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker told News Channel 3 on Tuesday that his department has about 19 body cams in service. The Sheriff's Office has about 60 members total, including detectives and administrative staff.

Prior to this year, the Sheriff's Office did not have any body cams or dash cams due to budgetary issues and technology limitations, such as the cost of data storage, limited broadband access in a rural county, and sustainability concerns, Baker said.

Body cams were approved for the Sheriff's Office as part of this year's budget. Baker said they had to choose between body cams and dash cams, and opted for the former because it could provide the best evidence related to interactions with the public. A contract for the body cams was awarded in February and the cameras began arriving in April, said Baker.

However, the Sheriff's Office learned the vendor of the body cams could not provide training until about August, Baker told News Channel 3. Recognizing the need for body cams, Baker said the Sheriff's Office began rolling out the cameras early to test them out, instead of waiting for training from the vendor. Baker said this was the reason why not all his deputies are equipped with body cams.

On the night that Nagle was killed, Baker said the other night shift was equipped with a body cam, but not the deputy who shot Nagle.

MSP is conducting the investigation into the shooting. When asked how the agency plans to investigate, given the lack of video and audio files, MSP said detectives are conducting interviews and reviewing evidence collected at the scene and elsewhere. MSP will then provide a report of its findings to the Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Baker said the Sheriff's Office will conduct an internal review once the MSP investigation is complete.

Nagle's mother, who will be attending Thursday night's candlelight vigil, said she wants to know why her son's body still has not been released. She also wants to know the deputy's name and when the prosecutor will make a statement. Furthermore, she questions why the deputy did not use a stun gun, since she said her son was unarmed.

MSP said it is not releasing the deputy's name "to protect the integrity of this investigation." The deputy remains on paid administrative leave.

Nagle was a 2018 graduate of Comstock Park High School and a former all-state wrestler. He was enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College and wanted to become a police officer, said his ex-girlfriend, Courtney Riva.