An Iowa deputy was cleared Thursday of criminal liability after shooting a man suspected of fatally shooting a grocery store worker at random.
Delaware County Deputy Matt Menard shot 38-year-old Nathan Russell of East Dubuque, Illinois, Nov. 7 while trying to take Russell into custody as Russell allegedly failed to comply, KCRG reported. Russell reportedly was fleeing the area around a grocery store in Monticello, Iowa, where he allegedly had shot 48-year-old employee Aaron McAtee in what the police suspected was an act of random violence.
“The level of force used by Deputy Menard in shooting Russell was reasonable under the circumstances of the moment, to not only protect his own life, but also the lives of nearby citizens,” Delaware County Attorney John Bernau said, KCRG noted in a separate report.
“Deputy Menard acted in accordance with his training and experience. When the whole of the incident is looked at objectively, Deputy Menard’s actions in shooting Russell were reasonable and legally justified under Iowa law and he will face no criminal liability,” Bernau reportedly added. (RELATED: ‘Disturbed Person’: Police Shoot Man Allegedly Trying To Slit Stepmother’s Throat)
Menard had been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, the outlet noted.
McAtee died of his injuries. Russell was treated for his injury and faces charges of Murder in the First Degree, Going Armed with Intent, and Felon in possession of a Firearm, per the outlet.
Russell had pleaded guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine in a plea deal that saw his felony gun possession charge dropped in Sept. 2022. A judge sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment followed by one year of supervised release, which meant that he should still have been imprisoned at the time of his alleged shooting of McAtee, the outlet separately reported. He reportedly was not in the Illinois Department of Corrections parole system but authorities there reportedly could not say when he was released from prison. It was unclear how he obtained the gun he allegedly used to shoot McAtee, as he was not eligible to buy, own, or possess a firearm based on his previous conviction, per KCRG.