Coroner’s inquest finds Bozeman officer-involved shooting was justified

Bozeman, Montana — Jurors gathered in a courtroom at the Law and Justice Center on Monday, October 30, 2023, for a coroner’s inquest to review an officer-involved shooting that ended in the death of 39-year-old Michael Rogel.

The jury found the fatal shooting of Rogel to be justified.

Officers responded to a call on April 3, 2023, on Bungalow Lane, stating Rogel had a shotgun and believed people were on their way to kill him.

When officers arrived, Rogel allegedly drove off and quickly became stuck in the snow on Greenmore Court.

Body cam footage presented to the jury shows exactly what happened that day.

The footage shows officers trying to de-escalate the situation, asking Rogel to keep his hands up and off of his firearm for about 30 minutes.

Rogel allegedly failed to listen as five police officers drew their guns and shot Rogel multiple times, also killing his dog.

The footage shows officers pulling Rogel from his vehicle, covered in blood. He is cuffed, and officers begin to try to resuscitate him, but he is pronounced dead.

County Attorney Audrey Cromwell questioned several officers about what happened leading up to the shooting.

The courtroom heard audio from multiple 911 calls and phone calls.

A few of the phone calls were between officers and Rogel’s mother who revealed to police that her son had a history of mental illness and was supposed to be taking antipsychotics.

The county attorney called several more police officers to the stand to talk about what happened that day before the case went to the jury, ultimately finding that the shooting by police was justified.