HOPE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The widow of a man who was shot and killed by a Barry County sheriff’s deputy Monday said she witnessed the shooting and it should never have happened produce.

Her husband, U.S. Army veteran Jeremiah J. Johnson, 37, was shot and killed at their home near Delton after a domestic violence call.

Barry County deputies involved in deadly shooting

His wife, Siphiwe Johnson, said she wanted to be remembered as a husband, stepfather to her children and a military veteran.

She doesn’t want to talk about what happened that night, at least not yet.

“It shouldn’t have happened this way,” she said Friday.

Man with family ID card killed in Barry County shooting involving deputies

Barry County dispatches show it started around 7:30 p.m. at the couple’s home atop a hill along Kingsbury Road near M-43.

At first, deputies weren’t sure where the call was coming from.

“Are we able to determine where she lives based on her number? » » asked a deputy dispatcher.

Sixteen minutes later, this dispatch:

“We just received a call from this residence along the line that her husband was burning things in the house and trying to kick her out, possibly holding a gun to her head. Then she logged out.

Then, two minutes later: “Gunshots.”

There is no indication that Jeremiah Johnson fired a shot or that any deputies were injured.

Shortly thereafter, Aero Med was preparing to head that way from Grand Rapids.

“Barry Central, you cancel the bird,” the dispatch was told.

Siphiwe Johnson said her husband did not deserve to die.

“I don’t want to talk about what happened right now, but I will talk about it when the time is right,” she said. “But I would like everyone to see Jérémie as someone who fought for his country, someone who deserves the dignity that this country can give him, even after his death, and that everyone does not Don’t focus unnecessarily on what is being said here. Yes, he may have this and that, but he is still a person and he still deserves to have the law on his side.

She said he served in Iraq and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He recently worked in a factory, she said.

They met two years ago and got married last year.

“I just celebrated our first anniversary,” she said.

He helped her raise her sons.

“He was a generous guy. He would give you the shirt on his back. He was a sociable person. He cared about people. That’s why I fell in love with him.

The Barry County Sheriff’s Office has not said what led to the shooting. It denied a Freedom of Information Act request from Target 8 regarding the dashboard camera video.

Michigan State Police are investigating the shooting.

A spokesperson for MSP’s Fifth District said it could take several weeks to forward the results of the investigation to the Barry County prosecutor to determine whether the shooting was justified. The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on paid leave.

Records show Jeremiah Johnson had no history of violent crimes, although he served 18 months of probation for convictions in 2019 for drunken driving and felony carrying a concealed weapon.

“I would like my husband to be remembered in a good light,” his widow said. “Someone who fought for his country, someone who would give his shirt to anyone. And he did it for me and my children.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming videos, visit WOODTV.com.