Richland man arrested after shotgun blast narrowly misses deputy

Richland, Iowa- A Richland man is facing felony charges after an early January incident that could have resulted in serious injury. Michael Joseph McClure, 71, was arrested on January 10, days after discharging a shotgun four feet away from a Keokuk County Sheriff’s Deputy.

            According to a criminal complaint, the Keokuk County 911 center received a 911 call from McClure on January 6, reporting several people in his yard, messing with his dogs and getting into the dog kennel.

            “The defendant reported to dispatch that he had a gun and would protect his dogs and property,” states the complaint.

            Deputy Sheriff Jeff Runnells was dispatched and upon arrival, approached McClure’s house and knocked on the door.

            “While waiting for an answer at the door, a shotgun blast came from inside the residence, and the kitchen window shattered out within four feet of where I was standing,” Runnells writes in the complaint.

            After the gunshot, Keokuk County dispatch called McClure and asked him to put down the gun and go out and speak with Runnells. McClure admitted to Runnells that he stood in his kitchen and fired the shotgun through the window.

            “The defendant believed people were in his yard that weren't really there,” Runnells reports.

For more on this story and others, catch the January 23 edition of the News-Review.