Former Johnson County Candidate, Armed with Rifle and Dressed in Civil War Garb, Fatally Shot by Deputy

A former Johnson County Board of Supervisors candidate, who often participated in local parades wearing period garb, was shot and killed Tuesday by Van Buren County Sheriff's deputies.

According to a release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, deputies were sent to the area of Highway 2, east of Cantril near the Iowa and Missouri border, after receiving reports of a man wearing a military uniform and walking west carrying a rifle. He was reportedly making rude gestures to cars as they passed.

Van Buren County Chief Deputy Brad Hudson and Deputy Jon Tharp encountered the man, Robert "Mike" Dooley, 59, of Brighton, at the scene. They asked Dooley to drop his weapon several times, but he reportedly did not comply, instead pointing the rifle at the officers, according to the release. As a result, Tharp fired at Dooley, killing him.

An autopsy by the state medical examiner indicated that Dooley had died of a single gunshot wound.

Dooley ran as an Independent for the Johnson County Board of Supervisors in 2010, but withdrew his candidacy before the election. The Gazette is reporting that Dooley was wearing a Civil War uniform at the time of the shooting, and that he had participated in a Civil War re-enactment as a confederate soldier in 2010.

Dooley, who formerly lived in rural Johnson County near Solon, was also often a participant in area parades wearing period garb.

According to the release, Deputy Tharp has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of the DCI’s investigation. The DCI continues to investigate the shooting.