The fatal shooting of an Ottumwa man by a U.S. Marshal Service deputy was legally justified, according to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
Michael Zurek, 31, of Ottumwa, had several warrants out for his arrest on charges of voluntary absence, violation of parole, and violation of the sex offender registry following his release from a correctional facility and removal of his ankle monitor, according to a report from the attorney general’s office.
A previous attempt to arrest Zurek at a home in Montezuma was unsuccessful after he threatened Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office deputies with a large kitchen knife and threatened to kill himself. He escaped arrest at that time.
Additional warrants, including assault on a peace officer while displaying a dangerous weapon and four counts of interference with official acts while displaying a dangerous weapon, were issued after the attempt to arrest him.
The U.S. Marshal’s Service, along with the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office, Ottumwa Police Department, and the Department of Corrections High Risk Unit, attempted to arrest Zurek on June 10 after learning he was back in the Ottumwa area, the report said.
Upon arrival at an apartment in Wapello County, officers opened the apartment door, and Zurek ran toward officers with a combat knife. Deputy U.S. Marshal Branden Brown fired his firearm at Zurek twice, according to the report. Zurek was declared dead at the scene.
At the scene, Zurek’s phone was found in the kitchen sink with the water running, and in a separate bedroom, a long machete-style blade was found, according to the report. Witnesses said Zurek was on the run and “constantly paranoid that law enforcement was after him,” and that he said he would “make the cops kill him” before he could go back to prison, the report said.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office deemed Brown justified in his use of lethal force against Zurek because he was “a high risk to the safety of law enforcement” and was a threat to the safety of officers at the scene.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: US Marshal found legally justified in fatal shooting of Ottumwa man
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
