Prosecutor: No charges after cops shoot and kill murder suspect

A still image from video released by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office of the police chase and shootout that killed double murder suspect David Algarin on August 6, 2023.

COLDWATER, Mich. (WOOD) — The Branch County District Attorney’s Office says it will not file charges after a double murder suspect was shot following a police chase in 2023.

The office said Tuesday that deputies were authorized to use deadly force against David Algarin Jr., who died Aug. 6, 2023.

“The Branch County District Attorney’s Office believes that the deputies honestly believed that deadly force was immediately necessary when they fired their firearms and that their belief was reasonable,” the district attorney’s office said in a news release Tuesday. “The actions and behavior of the deputies involved in this situation likely saved the lives of other deputies and the lives of others in our community.”

Authorities say Algarin, 30, killed 38-year-old Stacy Ramsey and 61-year-old Jerry Longacre near Sturgis on August 5, 2023.

The next day, Algarin’s car was captured by a license plate reader camera in Sturgis. Pursuing officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Algarin continued driving east toward Bronson, prosecutors said.

The Branch County Sheriff’s Office attempted to use stop sticks but was unsuccessful, according to the news release. According to prosecutors, Algarin continued driving onto Bronson Street, then accelerated while fleeing police, reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour and repeatedly driving into the wrong lane.

Prosecutors said Algarin made phone calls to dispatchers and family members during the chase. He said he wouldn’t stop and said goodbye to his family, saying he was going to crash into a tree, the release said.

According to the news release, officers decided they needed to use a tactic known as a PIT maneuver to force Algarin’s vehicle off the road before he crashed into another car or made it to Colon, where a festival was taking place.

According to prosecutors, a vehicle carrying three St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office deputies led the pursuit. Their first attempt at a PIT maneuver failed, but after the second attempt, Algarin’s car spun into a wheat field, authorities say. According to prosecutors, after officers saw Algarin attempting to drive away, they rammed the side of his vehicle to immobilize it.

The office says the two deputies in the front seat exited the car and asked Algarin to show his hands, but the remaining deputy in the back seat saw Algarin point a handgun at the other two deputies. According to the press release, the two deputies fired “numerous shots” at Algarin. He died at the scene of the accident.

An autopsy determined the cause of death was 18 gunshot wounds to the head, neck and torso. However, it is not clear which officer fired the fatal shots, the press release said. It is said that methamphetamine and THC were also found in Algarin’s blood.

After an investigation by Michigan State Police, the Branch County District Attorney’s Office said it concluded the deputies were justified.

“As described above, the deputies involved in this situation were faced with a tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving situation,” the release said. “…When assessing the circumstances from the perspective of a reasonable officer involved in the incident, it is clear that the deputies involved reasonably and honestly believed that Algarin posed a significant and imminent threat of death or serious injury to the deputies and represented every citizen.” near Algarin.”