GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Officers were cleared of charges a month after they shot a suspect outside a popular grocery store in Grand Rapids, police say.
The shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 16. Police were called to the 200 block of Union Avenue NE on the report of a "trouble with a person" call.
Officers said when they arrived, they found the suspect, a 19-year-old man later identified as Nodin James Chervenka. He was acting "erratically" in the 600 block of Innes Street NE, just behind Martha's Vineyard.
Body cam footage shared by GRPD shows the suspect tell an officer he has a box cutter in his pocket. He then put his hands on his head and turns around, following instructions.
The man then quickly turns back around, pulling the box cutter out of his pocket and charging at the officer. The officer warned the man, saying "you're going to get shot," but the man continued to charge at the officer.
The officer then fired three shots, hitting the man twice. He was hit in the stomach and chest. The man then fell to the ground.
After a second officer showed up, the video shows the man get back up off the ground against police commands. He walks away and hides in a nearby garage. Officers stand outside the garage and the man yells to them that he has a knife. Eventually, the man leaves the garage and charges at the officers again.
The officers attempted to subdue the man with a taser, which did not work. The man continued to charge, and the officer then fired another shot, hitting the man in the arm. At this point, officers were able to secure the man.
“I am hopeful the investigation will reveal this individual’s motive for charging at officers, not once but twice, even after being wounded by the initial shots,” said Chief Eric Winstrom when the video was released, one day after the shooting.
According to police, medical aid was given to the suspect on scene by GRPD and East Grand Rapids Public Safety officers. He was taken to a local hospital and is expected to recover.
No officers were injured, but they were placed on administrative leave and Michigan State Police took over the investigation.
The investigation lead to charges filed against Chervenka. He faces one count of felonious assault and two counts of resisting and opposing an officer. If guilty on all three counts, he faces a maximum of eight years in jail and/or a fine of $6,000.
Officers involved were cleared of any charges, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker says.
An arraignment date has not been announced yet.
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