ROCKFORD, MI (WHTC) – The investigation into the death of a 43-year-old Holland man during an officer-involved shooting on Holland’s North Side continues.
An autopsy performed on Friday confirmed the identity of the man as David Thelen, with a final determination of the cause of his death to be made following results of toxicology tests.
According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched to the Beeline Apartments complex on a report of a medical emergency around 8 PM on Wednesday evening. Thelen allegedly was wielding a large knife and had been ordered to drop the weapon several times before charging at an unnamed deputy, who fired three shots. Undersheriff Steve Kempker told WHTC News that there was no body camera footage available of the incident.
The deputy is on paid administrative leave while detectives from the Michigan State Police Post in Rockford investigate the matter, as is standard protocol when a law enforcement officer is involved in a shooting. Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to call the Rockford post at 616-866-4411.
The case will be forwarded to the office of Ottawa County Prosecutor Ron Frantz upon the completion of the State Police probe.
