Investigation finds no wrongdoing by Hettinger County Deputy in shooting death

May 20—MOTT, N.D. — The Hettinger County Sheriff's Department announced the results of a month-long investigation, stemming from an incident in which a deputy shot and killed Jeffrey Ray Glover, Jr., concluding that the shooting was justified and no criminal charges would be filed.

The incident began when the unnamed deputy responded to a call from Mott-Regent Public School at approximately 3 p.m. on April 21, 2022. The dispatched call related to a child custody dispute.

Upon arrival, the deputy is alleged to have attempted to de-escalate tensions, asking Glover to leave the premises — which he refused to do. When two uninvolved students exited the building, which was in lockdown, Glover rushed toward the open door and entered the building, ignoring the deputy's commands.

Once inside the school's common area, the deputy attempted to gain the compliance of Glover and removed his taser. The deputy's attempts were unsuccessful. Deploying his taser, a non-lethal device used to render a combative or unresponsive subject compliant, the deputy began placing Glover under arrest with the use of handcuffs.

Glover is alleged to have then committed a class B felony by assaulting the officer physically, who deployed his taser again before briefly losing consciousness during the assault. Glover continued to "viciously assault" the deputy while physically on top of him, pushing his arm into the deputy's neck in an attempt to apply a pressure choke. During this altercation, it is reported that Glover attempted to grab the deputy's secured knife.

According to the report, the deputy nearly lost consciousness a second time before removing his department issued firearm and fired one round at Glover in order to protect himself and innocent bystanders in the building. The deputy immediately radioed for an ambulance and attempted lifesaving interventions, including CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator. The responding paramedics also attempted additional life saving measures, but Glover was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff Sarah Warner said the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation in reviewing the incident found no wrongdoing on behalf of the deputy involved, noting that he exercised all de-escalation and lesser force options before discharging his weapon.

"After an exhaustive review of the evidence presented by North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation to the Hettinger County State's Attorney's Office, the facts show that the actions taken by the deputy on April 21, 2022, were justified and no criminal charges can be filed," Warner stated. "A thorough administrative review found no violation of agency policy and procedure."

Chief Deputy Kyle Christianson said the deputy's name will not be released, as the deputy has exercised his privacy rights under Marsy's Law. He added that the department will be offering no further comment at this time.