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Pott. County Atty. clears deputy U-S Marshal in fugitive shooting incident

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September 14th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber announced on Friday that criminal charges will not be filed against a U.S. Marshals Service deputy who shot a fugitive during standoff in Council Bluffs in May. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Deputy U.S. Marshal Scott Cannon of the Southern District of Iowa office was cleared of criminal wrongdoing after an investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Department. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reviewed that investigation. Cannon, however, could face further scrutiny from the Marshals Service after giving inconsistent statements in the case.

Authorities arrested 39-year old Daniel Hannan Jr.,  after he was shot during an incident that started around 11-a.m. on May 29th, when a fugitive task force served a high-risk warrant on the suspect at his home. The bullet merely grazed the man’s arm. Council Bluffs police described the warrant as “high risk” because of Hannan’s history of assault and drug arrests, saying the suspect has a history of methamphetamine use and erratic behavior.The suspect was also known to possess guns, though on the scene his mother indicated Hannan had only an air-soft gun.

As members of the task force arrived at the scene, Cannon fired a single shot through the front door, which struck Hannan in the upper right arm. Matt Wilber said after reviewing the evidence..which included a video taken by a neighbor…the incident was a case of the deputy’s weapon discharging accidentally.

Wilber said his report will be sent to the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, D.C., and the Southern District of Iowa office in Des Moines, with the service’s internal affairs unit expected to investigate. Hannan remains held without bond, at the Pottawattamie County Jail.