Michigan DNR officer found not guilty in 2023 campground shooting case

A Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer charged in connection with a 2023 shooting at a central Michigan campsite has been acquitted. 

On May 13, 2023, conservation officer Ryan Cox, who was off-duty at the time and camping with his family, intervened in an altercation between his father and other campers at the Merrill-Gorrel County Park in Barryton, Mecosta County. 

Authorities say Cox heard a woman screaming for help and intervened, announcing himself as a DNR conservation officer and using verbal commands. When a physical fight escalated that included his father, authorities say Cox fired several shots, striking one person. 

Michigan State Police investigated the incident at the request of the DNR.

Cox was charged in 2023 after the MSP completed its investigation. 

On July 2, a jury acquitted Cox of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, ending a trial that went through multiple scheduling delays. 

"We are grateful that the legal process in this case has concluded and that a jury returned a not guilty verdict," Chief Brandon Kieft of the DNR Law Enforcement Division said in a statement. "Officer Cox has navigated the standard investigations and legal processes while maintaining his professionalism and commitment to those around him. We appreciate the jury's recognition that he acted appropriately to protect others in dangerous circumstances."

The DNR says it's working with the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards to return Cox to active duty within the DNR Law Enforcement Division.

Cox was on paid administrative leave during the court case.