The Macomb County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it will recommend no charges against the Sterling Heights police officer who shot and killed a man who threatened to harm himself and others. 

The incident happened Dec. 3 at a home on Apple Blossom Drive in Sterling Heights. Police arrived about 3:30 p.m. that day to handle a welfare check on behalf of a 54-year-old man described as having a mental health episode. Those threats included "an intent to shoot himself," the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said. 

When officers arrived, they noticed the man was holding a loaded handgun. Deputies said that responding officers and trained negotiators spoke with the man for more than an hour. 

During the conversations, he sat at the top of a narrow staircase that led from outside into the condominium, refusing officers' requests to come downstairs and leave the building. 

At one point, the sheriff says the man stood up at the top of the stairs, reached to pick up the firearm and raised the weapon toward the officers. 

An officer fired back, authorities said. 

The Sterling Heights Fire Department provided emergency treatment, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

No one else was injured during the incident. 

The investigation was turned over to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office and the Sterling Heights officers on the call were placed on paid administrative leave. 

"After a thorough investigation, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office found no evidence to support criminal charges against the officer involved," the sheriff's report said in its announcement that the investigation is closed. 

"The Macomb County Sheriff's Office has concluded that the use of force utilized in this incident was justified. The force utilized by Sterling Heights Police Officer conforms to Michigan law, as well as applicable agency policy, standards, and guidelines."