Prosecutors have dropped charges against three men accused in a September fight that ended in a shooting in Glenwood.
The Mills County Attorney’s Office says the charges against Colton McDaniel, 21, Denver Cook, 19, and Hurl Beechum III, 42, have been dismissed.
“Through an ongoing investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and local law enforcement along with extensive discovery by the Mills County Attorney’s Office it was determined that there is reasonable doubt as to who was the primary physical aggressor of the incident,” the Attorney’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.
The decision comes after months of investigation stemming from the Sept. 27, 2015, fight. Prosecutors said Beechum got a gun from his home and returned to the scene of a fight where Glenwood High School Principal Richard Hutchinson was on the ground and surround by the others involved in the fight.
“It is reasonable to believe that Mr. Beechum acted with justification at that time,” officials said.
Beechum, who is Hutchinson’s stepson, was accused of shooting McDaniel in the leg.
