LANSING ? An Ingham County man who pointed a gun at a group of law enforcement officers pled guilty to one count of felony firearm ? second offense, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today.?

Gregory McDowell, Jr., 47, of Lansing entered a guilty plea before Judge Rosemarie Aquilina in the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County. The plea includes a mandatory sentence of five years in prison.?

In August 2021, McDowell, who was being sought by a law enforcement task force for an outstanding warrant for Assault with Intent to Murder and for absconding from probation, was spotted by Lansing Police officers driving recklessly in a tan Cadillac Escalade. McDowell crashed the vehicle, later identified as stolen, into several other vehicles near the Sparrow Behavioral Health Center in Lansing before fleeing the scene on foot with a firearm.??

McDowell entered an interior parking lot of the facility where he was spotted by multiple Sparrow employees. Witnesses described McDowell as erratic and in possession of a handgun. A team of uniformed law enforcement officers, including two Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers, approached McDowell who was hiding under a Sparrow security vehicle. One of the MSP troopers told McDowell multiple times to drop his weapon, but McDowell failed to comply. The second MSP trooper on scene tried to calm the situation, but McDowell still did not comply. McDowell then crawled out from under the security vehicle and rolled onto his back. He took the firearm from his left hand and transferred it to his right hand and extended his arm towards the officers. One of the MSP troopers then fired his weapon striking McDowell multiple times.?

After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the MSP trooper who fired the shots at McDowell used reasonable force and no criminal charges were filed.?

A sentencing date has been scheduled for February 15, 2023, in Ingham County Circuit Court.?

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