A sheriff’s deputy in Ingham County has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing after fatally shooting a man during a confrontation last year, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The deputy shot and killed Cameron Joel Cothern, 27, during an encounter on April 6, 2025, along U.S. 127.
Video footage released by the sheriff’s office shows Cothern running toward a police vehicle while armed. Another video shows him jumping over a barrier and advancing toward officers while holding two knives.
Authorities said the deputy repeatedly ordered Cothern to drop the weapons, issuing the command more than a dozen times. During the confrontation, the deputy fell to the ground as Cothern lunged toward them. The deputy then fired three shots, fatally striking him.
The incident was investigated by Michigan State Police.
“Law enforcement officers have the same privilege of self-defense as anyone else,” Nessel said. “An officer’s decision about the level of force necessary to control an individual will be based on the officer’s perception of the threat and the subject’s apparent ability to carry out that threat.”
“Under all of the facts and circumstances presented, the department concluded that the Ingham County sheriff’s deputy acted in self-defense and defense of their fellow responding officer when they fatally shot Cameron Cothern.”