Sheriff’s office releases body camera footage from deputy-involved fatal shooting
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LINCOLN — Two deputies have been criminally cleared following a September shooting at a home that resulted in a man’s death.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal says he has concluded that the two deputies who shot at 43-year-old Marcus J. Griffin, resulting in his death, were acting in self-defense.
Read the full prosecutorial review here.
According to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, just before 6 a.m. on Sept. 4, Griffin called Bonneville County Dispatch stating he was armed and considering killing himself.
The sheriff’s office released the body camera footage from the incident on Monday. The video has been edited by the sheriff’s office with text to explain portions of the incident and with blurring of graphic details; viewer discretion is still advised.
Watch the video in the player above.
According to the sheriff’s office, Deputy Chris Demastus and Deputy Jake Mann were dispatched to a home on the 2600 North Block of Badger Creek Road. Deputies spoke with Griffin’s parents, who told them their son was downstairs and intoxicated.
Deputies briefly spoke to Griffin from the top of the stairs leading down to the basement because they could not see exactly where he was.
Initially, Griffin told deputies not to come downstairs because he was armed, but then he said that he would not shoot the deputy if he came down to speak to him.
As they descended the stairs and reached the bottom, Deputy Demastus saw Griffin across the room holding a handgun, and the two deputies moved back to the top of the stairs for safety.
The deputies continued to speak with Griffin for nearly ten minutes as more deputies arrived and assisted in moving his parents out of the house to a safer location.
During that time, Griffin made several threatening and suicidal statements, which included coming up the stairs to shoot the deputies.
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After threatening to shoot the deputies, Griffin briefly appeared at the bottom of the stairs holding a handgun, refusing commands to drop it, before moving back out of view. Griffin appeared a second time, holding the gun at the bottom of the stairs, and deputies continued their commands to drop it.
During this time, Deputy Demastus fired one round toward Griffin before he again moved out of view. Griffin then appeared a third time, pointing the gun at deputies, who both fired at him.
Griffin fired one round toward the deputies, striking the wall near the stairs. He was incapacitated at the bottom of the stairs after being shot by the deputies.
Deputies went downstairs and began life-saving measures until ambulance personnel arrived.
Griffin was declared dead at the scene, and there were no other injuries to deputies or his parents, who had been moved outside of the home moments earlier.
The East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force was activated to investigate the incident, with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office designated as the lead agency.
Investigators from the Idaho State Police, Idaho Falls Police, Chubbuck Police, Blackfoot Police, Rigby Police, Teton County, and Bingham County Sheriff’s Offices assisted in this investigation.
“While it is unquestionably tragic that Mr. Griffin was apparently in a distressed state of mind, it appears he made a deliberate decision to endanger the deputies, and likely anticipated their response,” says Neal. “His pointing and firing his gun in the direction of the deputies was a real, actual, and significant threat of great bodily injury or death. I see no reasonable alternative to the deputies’ response.”
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office encourages the community to learn about the many resources available for those thinking of self-harm or experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Calling or texting 988 from anywhere in the United States will connect you to the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7.
The “Community Resources” tab on the BCSO website also includes information and links to connect with the Behavioral Health Crisis Center of East Idaho and many other local and state resources for persons in crisis or seeking help with addiction.