DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has determined the fatal shooting of a man by Des Moines police officers on January 2nd was legally justified.

The AG’s office released its findings Monday in the shooting that resulted in the death of Charquan Hargrove, 32. They are based on the investigation conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Officers went to a duplex in the 2100 block of Meadow Court around 5:30 p.m. on January 2nd to serve Hargove with felony warrants for Domestic Abuse Assault 3rd Offense, and Probation Violation Offenses. He also had a no-contact order against him police were hoping to serve.

Three officers were at the location to assist in serving the warrants and taking Hargrove into custody — Officer Nicholas Rude, Senior Officer Nicholas Stern, and Officer Destiny McGinnis.

The report said one of the officers saw Hargrove and a woman through the window but no one answered when they first knocked on the door. After knocking a second time, the woman who answered denied he was there and wouldn’t allow officers inside. Officers entered the home after advising her they had reason to believe Hargrove was inside the home.

Officers were speaking with the woman when they saw Hargrove dart into a bedroom down the hallway. Officer Rude ordered Hargrove to show his hands twice before heading down the hall toward the bedroom with his gun drawn. Officer Stern followed. When Officer Rude got to the door of the bedroom Hargrove was attempting to hide behind a closet door. He shouted at the officers to “back up” and then fired on them.

Both officers returned fire and moved to safe positions. Officer Rude went to a neighboring bedroom and continued to fire through the wall. Officer Stern backed down the hall to the living room.

The report says the woman ran down the hallway to get to the children and entered the room Officer Rude was in. He told her to get down and within two seconds, Hargrove lunged into the room and began firing on Officer Rude again. Officer Rude returned fire until Hargrove fell. The report says Officer Stern also opened fire on Hargrove when he witnessed him lunging into the room.

The officers handcuffed Hargrove and immediately began giving medical aid. Hargrove died from his injuries at the scene.

Both of the children in the home were unharmed in the incident.

The AG’s office concluded Hargrove’s actions “left officers with no other choice than to respond with deadly force. Hargrove’s decision to again open fire in the bedroom also endangered the lives of [redacted] and her children. The officers were justified in using deadly force to protect
their lives as well.”

The AG’s office also determined the officers’ actions were legally justified and that criminal charges were unwarranted.