Prosecutor: Shooting by Cedar Rapids officers ‘clearly’ justified

CEDAR RAPIDS — As shooting suspect Michael Griffin fled police early New Year’s Day in the car he had taken from his parents, he called his mom from behind the wheel: “This is it, Mom. I`m going to shoot at them. I`m going to try and kill them,” he said, according to a report issued Monday. “If not, this is it for me."

In the 11-minute chase, the 20-year-old fired at least twice at the Cedar Rapids officers, even shattering the rear window as he shot through it. When an officer finally forced the Hyundai Sonata off the road, authorities heard a gunshot coming from inside the car. Thinking that shot also was meant for them, the five pursuing officers opened fire — shooting a total of 63 rounds.

But none of those bullets struck Griffin. Instead, that final shot came from him fatally shooting himself in the forehead with an assault-style weapon, the report said.

The officers — Sgt. Graham Campshure, Officer Loren Culver, Officer Christopher Hettinger, Officer Jonathan McDowell and Officer Dylan Hall — were placed on administrative leave while the officer-involved shooting was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is routine in such cases. The findings were turned over Feb. 13 to Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks to decide whether any charges against the officers were merited.

“Criminal charges against these officers are not warranted,” Maybanks concluded in a report released Monday. “Their actions on the morning of Jan. 1, 2024, were taken to protect the community and to save their own lives. Without question, this was clearly a justified shooting by these officers.”

The officer-involved shooting was investigated by the DCI and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and involved interviewing each of the officers and reviewing squad and body camera footage of the chase and the shooting.

The chase begins

On the last night of his life, Griffin went to New Year’s Eve parties.

One of them was supposed to be at 414 Longwood Dr. NE in Cedar Rapids, but he and a teenage friend went to a different address instead. When it was early New Year’s Day, Griffin told his 17-year-old friend he’d take him home but first had to “handle some business,” according to the report.

Griffin told the teen another person had stolen his gun, and the pair returned to the house at Longwood Drive to look for him. Griffin, now armed with an AR-15, got out of the car and talked with residents of the house.

Griffin then got back in the car and but shot toward the house several times with the AR-15. They drove away. A short time later, about 6:30 a.m., they returned to the house and were spotted by police officers who were nearby. The pursuit began.

The teen heard Griffin telling his mother he was going to shoot at police, and he begged Griffin to let him out of the car. Griffin dropped the teen off near the intersection of First Avenue E and 12th Street SE and began firing at police about 20 seconds later.

“It was clear Griffin had no regard for the lives of the officers, the public, or himself,” the report stated.

Griffin leaned out the driver’s window to shoot at police and shot out his back window. At times, he aimed the car at the approaching squad cars. The chase reached speeds of 75 to 80 mph, the report said.

Finally, as the chase reached about the 5600 block of Mount Vernon Road SE, a police officer trained in the PIT — or precision immobilization technique — hit the back quarter panel of the Hyundai, forcing it into a ditch where its struck a utility pole.

That officer — Culver — “said he thought about being shot and his death,” Maybanks’ report said. “Officer Culver stated he wondered what being shot and dying would be like and how it would happen. Officer Culver said he saw the faces of his wife and children and felt guilty for making such a dangerous decision without consulting with them.”

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Officers feared Griffin was reloading his rifle inside the stalled car.

“Officers did not realize that Griffin had shot himself and believed he was firing at them,” the report said. “The sixty-three shots fired by all officers were discharged in rapid succession over the course of approximately seven seconds when all officers still feared for their lives and safety and under circumstances wherein the force was reasonable until the threat subsided or was neutralized.”

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Had talked suicide

Afterward, Griffin’s mother told police her other son kept multiple guns in their home that weren’t locked up. She said Griffin had talked about suicide and about going on a shooting spree, and he was receiving treatment — and taking medication — for suspected mental illnesses.

“In her opinion, she did not believe he wanted to shoot and kill the police but wanted the police to kill him,” the report states.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department released a statement Monday commending the five officers involved in the shooting.

“They exercised tremendous restraint and commitment while taking action to protect innocent lives, the lives of fellow officers, and their own lives. They are to be commended for their bravery,” the statement reads. “Our focus now is on returning these officers to full working status while ensuring their physical and mental health needs are met. Events like this take a toll on the officers, their families, and the Department, and we understand the importance of support.”

Officer Involved Shooting 1.1.24 Final Report by The Gazette on Scribd

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