Michigan man says he accidentally shot elderly pro-life volunteer who was allegedly 'screaming' about abortion

A Michigan man who says he shot an elderly pro-life volunteer last week has spoken out about the incident, saying it was an "accident" following the volunteer allegedly getting into a heated back-and-forth over abortion.

"I came out and she [the unidentified pro-life volunteer] is screaming and having a great old time, and being told … at least a dozen times, ‘You’re trespassing, get off the property,'" 74-year-old Richard Harvey, told News 8 on Tuesday.

An unidentified 83-year-old woman was canvassing the neighborhood near Lake Odessa in Ionia County on Sept. 20 for Right to Life of Michigan to discuss the state’s vote on Proposal 3. The upcoming ballot measure would protect abortion access in the state.

The Right to Life of Michigan first sounded the alarm on the shooting over the weekend, saying in a press release that the "victim said that she was shot in the back/shoulder while leaving a residence during a heated conversation, and that the man who shot her was not a part of her conversation."

The unidentified pro-life canvasser was able to drive herself to a local police station despite being "dazed" by the shooting "fearing she would be shot again by Mr. Harvey," according to a Right to Life of Michigan press release. She is now recovering from the injury.

Harvey and his wife, Sharon Harvey, spoke to the media for the first time on Tuesday and said the shooting was an "accident," arguing that the pro-life canvasser had gotten into a "screaming" match with Sharon Harvey over abortion.

Sharon Harvey recounted that she heard a knock on the door on Sept. 20 and was greeted by a woman who was "from some coalition to save women and babies."

"She needed me to vote no on Proposal 3," Sharon Harvey told News 8. She told the pro-life volunteer that she would not oppose Proposal 3 as she had a four-and-a-half month tubal pregnancy in 1971 that required surgery and nearly killed her.

"She would not take the fact that I was going to vote yes on Proposal 3 as an answer," Sharon Harvey said. "She didn’t care. She didn’t care. I told her, I says, ‘Women are going to die. I nearly died.’ She says, ‘Well you didn’t, did you?'"

Sharon Harvey said she told the pro-life volunteer to leave her property at least a dozen times before the canvasser stepped off of the front porch.

Meanwhile, Richard Harvey was in a barn on the property when he heard "screaming" from the house. He said he grabbed his wife’s .22-caliber rifle and fired a warning shot.

"She [the volunteer] is still ranting and raving, and she’s got this clipboard. She’s waving it around. I’m thinking she’s going to smack Sharon with it. So without thinking, I went to club it away with the rifle and my finger was still in the trigger guard. It went off and hit her about in here," he said, pointing to his right shoulder, according to News 8.... (Read more)

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