Mich. Officer Cleared in Fatal Shooting of Suspect Who Threw Molotov Cocktail at Police
What to Know
- A Kent County prosecutor ruled that a Grand Rapids police officer acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a knife-wielding man who charged officers after a violent, hours-long standoff in May.
- Investigators said the suspect threatened family members, threw a Molotov cocktail at an officer, attempted a carjacking, and stabbed a police K-9 before advancing toward officers with knives in both hands.
- Prosecutors declined to charge Officer Ben Howie, concluding he had reasonable cause to believe the suspect posed a threat of death or serious injury to officers at the time of the shooting.
Becker said at a press conference that he believed Deans – who had no alcohol or drugs in his system – had suffered mental-health issues.
The incident happened on May 30.
His mother, Freddie Deans, called 911 at 1:16 p.m., from her home in the 1000 block of Alpine Avenue NW to report that her son “was going to kill us, he’s got a knife, he’s tried to stab my grandson, ya’ll come here he’s going to kill himself, kill ya’ll.”
Her son could be heard yelling in the background. The mother and three grandchildren left the house and met police near Alpine Avenue and 11th Street, about five or six houses down the street.
Police did not immediately approach the house, and set up a perimeter. Other family members were still inside. The mother told police he had been “mentally unstable” and threatened to kill everyone in the home, Becker said.
Officer Jesse Boven responded to the area and pulled his patrol car into the alley behind the mother’s house.
At 1:34 p.m., Boven saw Deans inside a covered parking area. Boven reported Deans’ location and started to get out of his vehicle. The officer retreated before Deans threw a lit Molotov cocktail filled with lighter fluid that sailed over the car and landed where the officer had been standing.
Becker described Deans as “extremely belligerent,” yelling profanities at police. Police fired non-lethal projectiles while Deans was on the front porch but it did not appear he was struck.
At 2:32 p.m., Officer Cassidy Bacon, watching the front door, saw him rush out and run across the street. There, he tried to carjack a family. The wife, a passenger, grabbed the keys from the ignition and threw them. Deans got out and fled on foot, video showed.
Multiple officers, including K-9 officer Theodore VanVliet, ran toward Deans. VanVliet released his dog, Digo, and gave a command to apprehend Deans. But the officer told Digo to return after the dog was stabbed twice in the head, Becker said.
Police again fired non-lethal rounds with Deans taking cover behind wood stairs. Officer Chase Ungrey, who fired non-lethal rounds, said Deans charged.
In his statement, the officer said: “I watched Eddie run out from under the staircase in my direction. I observed a silver blade of the knife in Eddie’s left hand. I feared for my life as well as the lives of my partners who were in the backyard…”
He said Deans was 5 to 8 feet away when he heard multiple gunshots. Howie, the officer who fired the gunshots, was next to Ungrey and had been at the scene from the beginning.
In a report, Howie said Deans advanced and ignored orders to stop.
“I believed that if the suspect were able to reach me or my teammates, either myself or a teammate would be gravely injured or killed.”
He estimated Deans was 10 feet away from the two officers when he was shot. Howie fired five shots, three of which struck Deans, including a deadly shot to his head.
Becker shared photos and videos he reviewed in his decision to not charge Howie. He said Howie had been at the scene from the start. He was aware of Deans’ alleged threats to harm family members, and aware of the Molotov cocktail.
He ran past the scene just after the carjacking occurred, and saw the police dog being stabbed.
Becker said he considered the “totality of the circumstances” confronting Howie.
Becker said he recognized that killings by police cause emotional reactions from some in the community. He was aware that Deans’ mother feels “horrible that she calls the police there and, you know, the son ends up dead. And I feel for that.”
“So yeah, this is traumatic for everybody involved, but you have to kind of try to remove the emotions as much as you can, based on what the facts are and what the law is and trying to make that analysis and take it whichever way it goes.”
Deans was 16 when hr was sentenced in 1996 to 12 to 50 years in prison for second-degree murder.
He left prison in February 2025.
He and two others were convicted in the December 1995 killing of Badri Denise Mullen, who was kicked in the head by the three after refusing to settle a crack cocaine debt.
A prosecutor said at the time that the three acted like a “pack of wolves.”
Deans was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, anti-social personality disorder and borderline personality disorder while in prison, Kent County Probate Court records said.
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