Officers cleared in fatal shooting

NILES, Mich. -- The officers who shot a robbery suspect at the Long John Silver's on South 11th Street in Niles on May 2, 2014 were cleared of any wrongdoing.



The robbery began around 11 p.m., closing time for the restaurant.



An employee was taking out the trash when the employee was confronted by the robbery suspect. The suspect was dressed in dark clothing, wore a bandana over his face, and carried a pistol.



Police said the employee recognized the robbery suspect as Eddie Macon, the boyfriend of a former employee.



Macon led the employee back in to the restaurant and gathered all four employees into an office.



He put the gun to the restaurant manager's head and demanded money, police said.



The money was gathered and it was placed in a bag. While getting the money, the manager signaled to her boyfriend in the parking lot to call police.



Not long after the manager returned to the office, three officers entered the store.



Although the manager saw the officers, she told Macon police were on their way.



Macon prepared to leave out the back door and told the manager, "Someone is going to die tonight," according to police.



By this time, three officers were inside the restaurant and four were outside.



The four outside were identified as Niles City police officers Shane Daniels and Jenny Evans and Michigan State Police troopers Holly Tetro and Kelly Anderson.



When the suspect walked out the back door, he had his pistol pointed at the officers and began running towards a residential area.



Concerned for their own safety and the safety of nearby residents, three officers shot at the suspect.



Macon fell to the ground and officers began performing CPR until an ambulance arrived.



Macon died at the hospital.



Police said the suspect had a .45 caliber semi-automatic gun with a fully loaded magazine and was in a hammer cocked, locked position.



The investigation revealed Niles officer Evans, Michigan State Police trooper Tetro and Michigan State Police Motor Carrier officer Guthrie fired their weapons and discharged 15 rounds combined.



The suspect was confirmed to be Eddie Macon Jr of Niles Michigan. He has previous convictions in Illinois for armed robbery and carjacking.



The autopsy revealed Macon was shot once in the head by Evans, once in the right thigh by Tetro and once in the left thigh, although it could not be determined whose weapon fired that shot.



No charges filed against police officers in robber’s death

Prosecutor Michael Sepic announced today no charges will be filed against police officers involved in the shooting death of the Long John Silver’s restaurant robber.



The Berrien County Prosecutor's Office announced no charges would be filed against the officers in this case. Their actions were well within their duties as police officers as permitted by Michigan law, according to the prosecutor's office.