Family shares new details about man who was shot and killed during routine traffic stop in Iowa
Authorities and family members are shedding new light on the background of 48-year-old Michael Broyles following a deadly traffic stop leading to a pursuit in August.INITIAL COVERAGE: Iowa officials investigate shooting involving officerPottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said identifying Broyles was initially a challenge. He said investigators used evidence from the scene and fingerprints to confirm who he was and locate his family. According to Wilber, Broyles did not have an ID, phone or wallet at the time and had false license plates on his car.READ MORE: Officials identify Missouri man who was shot and killed after firing at officers after pursuit on I-29Wilber said Broyles had two criminal convictions, both from Alaska. He also said interviews with family revealed Broyles had undiagnosed and untreated mental illness.“That’s why he kept asking that same question at the second stop multiple times, because he wants to know, is there a chance I’m walking out of this situation, or am I going to jail? Because for him, jail was not an option,” Wilber said.Amy Koppitz, Broyles’ sister, said, “I think he was intending to get them to fire back.”Koppitz said her brother’s previous interactions with law enforcement gave him undiagnosed PTSD, making him fearful of any authority figure — especially law enforcement. “His encounter in that other state entirely changed his personality,” she said. Koppitz added that he once told another family member that “he would rather be dead than go back to jail.”Koppitz also said Broyles was not a violent man and that, before the August incident, he had started getting better. “We had started connecting a lot more, and I felt like things were going in a really positive direction,” she said.“He was a really, really good person who had a lot of really bad things happen to him,” Koppitz said. “Unfortunately, he could not get past any of that.”READ MORE: Iowa Attorney General's Office says officers were 'legally justified' in shooting, killing Missouri manWilber said Broyles “actually had a pretty minor criminal history.”Koppitz left a final message: “We never know what another person is going through and has been through. That affects the way they behave.”If you or someone you know is in need of help, the Suicide Prevention Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7. Just call 988. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
