IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — The man accused of shooting and wounding a pro-life canvasser back in September 2022 pleaded no contest on Monday.
Richard Harvey, of Lake Odessa, was charged with shooting 84-year-old Joan Jacobson while she was canvassing in Ionia County on Sept. 20.
Jacobson had been visiting homes to pass out literature on Proposal 3 when she was shot while on the property of Sharon and Richard Harvey on Bippley Road.
During her testimony in October, Jacobson said her discussion with Sharon got heated, and she was asked to leave. She said she did make her way off their property, and continued to speak with her.
Harvey said he could hear Sharon and someone else screaming and yelling from the barn on his property, so he rushed out and grabbed a .22 rifle. Harvey later admitted to police that he fired a warning shot, and claimed he accidentally fired a second shot, which hit Jacobson.
Jacobson said she did not hear a warning shot and she only saw Harvey coming out of the corner of her eye.
In an interview with 13 ON YOUR SIDE, Jacobson said the bullet entered the top of her right shoulder and exited out her upper back, near her spine.
Harvey was later charged with assault with a deadly weapon, careless discharge of a weapon and reckless use of a firearm. He pleaded no contest to all three counts.
Harvey will be sentenced after the presentence investigation is completed. Court officials estimate it will take about a month.
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