GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ) A West Michigan man has been charged with shooting an 84-year-old Right To Life volunteer while she was going door to door.
Ionia County prosecutors charged Richard Harvey, 74, of Lake Odessa, with three counts in connection to shooting the volunteer on September 20.
The charges included Assault With A Deadly Weapon, Careless Discharge of a Weapon, and Reckless Use Of A Firearm.
He was given a $10,000 cash surety bond. He is currently in the Ionia County jail.
The victim was going door-to-door in Lake Odessa, about 40 miles southeast of Grand Rapids, to pass out literature asking residents to vote “no” on Proposal 3—a constitutional amendment that grants abortion access in Michigan.
The victim was talking to Harvey’s wife, who said she was in favor of Proposal 3 because of a previous pregnancy complication she had decades ago, WOOD-TV reports.
Multiple sources report that Harvey’s wife told the victim to leave.
WZZM reports Harvey stepped out of a barn near the home and shot the victim. She was struck in the shoulder, and the bullet exited out of her upper back near her spine.
She drove herself to a nearby police station, and was later transferred to a Grand Rapids hospital.
Harvey’s attorneys told WZZM the shooting was an accident, and that he intended to fire “a warning shot” but hit her instead.
The victim is recovering with the help of her family.