‘We Want to be Transparent’: Michigan Cops Claimed They Killed a Man Because He Fired at Them with a Shotgun, But Now They’re Admitting It Was a Lie
Deputies in Michigan claimed they shot and killed a man earlier this month for shooting at them with a shotgun, which turned out to be a lie. But the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office did not acknowledge that lie until seven days after the Jan. 6 shooting, more than enough time to know the man was unarmed. However, they are claiming they only found out he did not have a gun after a weeklong investigation by Michigan State Police, which seems dubious, considering the shotgun would have been lying next to the victim if he had been using it to shoot at deputies. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office in Michigan claimed they shot and killed a man after a pursuit when he began shooting at them with a shotgun but now they're admitting he had no shotgun. Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia M. Dyer is pictured top right. (Photos: Click on Detroit and Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office) Now Washtenaw Sheriff Commander Eugene Rush is telling local media that “we want to be transparent to the public,” according to Fox 2 Detroit. But they have yet to release the name of the driver or explain why they had claimed the driver had shot at them prior to being shot. Instead, Rush told local media that Michigan State Police will “soon” schedule a news conference to reveal its findings, but neither the sheriff’s office nor state police has announced a date and time for the news conference. Atlanta Black Star reached out to Michigan State Police to inquire about the supposed news conference, but has not heard back. It was Commander Rush who told local media in the hours after the shooting that the victim shot at deputies before they fired back, according to Fox 2 Detroit, which paraphrased the commander’s comments posted below. Rush said the driver led deputies on a chase that included him going the wrong way on Grove before eventually crashing in a deputy's vehicle on Prospect near Michigan just after 2:05 a.m. After the crash, the driver pulled out a shotgun and started shooting, Rush said. Even Michigan State Police told local media the man in the car fired at deputies, resulting in deputies firing back and killing him. “Michigan State Police are now investigating, telling me the suspect did fire at deputies after the crash and an unknown number of deputies then returned fire, killing the man,” reported Ruta Ulcinaite of WXYZ. That report was aired hours after the shooting, so perhaps Michigan State Police were only relaying information they had received from Rush, who himself may have been relying on information from the deputies at the scene, but it was a bold statement considering the victim did not even have a gun in the first place. The fact that neither agency acknowledged the truth for a week also calls into question all the other details reported by the sheriff’s office regarding the incident. Contradicting Press Releases It all started at 1:54 a.m. when a deputy spotted a white van driving without lights or a license plate and attempted to pull it over, prompting a pursuit where the driver led deputies down a wrong-way street and also tried to ram sheriff vehicles with his car, according to the initial press release issued by the sheriff’s office on Jan. 6. The van then crashed into a deputy’s vehicle at 2:07 a.m. which was when they claim he came out of the van and started shooting at deputies with his shotgun, although that detail was not mentioned in the press release. The van was involved in a crash near Prospect and Towner in the City of Ypsilanti with one of our deputies' vehicles. Shortly after the crash, reports of shots fired were received and Metro Dispatch was advised that the suspect was armed with a shotgun. HVA and additional first responders were requested to the scene. The single occupant/driver was determined to be deceased. No deputies, officers or other individuals were injured. This incident remains under active investigation and is now being led by the Michigan State Police. Any loss of life and any officer involved shooting is a tragedy. To respect the privacy of the individual involved and their family, information regarding the identity of the person cannot be released. The original press release was worded in a passive voice that did not directly say the victim had been armed, but used phrases to make the reader believe he was armed, which is typical in these types of cases. The sheriff’s office then issued a second press release on Jan. 13, saying the man they killed had been involved in a felonious assault incident, which under Michigan law is described as assaulting a person using “a gun, revolver, pistol, knife, iron bar, club, brass knuckles, or other dangerous weapon without intending to commit murder.” But the press release provides no further details on the alleged assault or who the victim was in that alleged assault. It also does not explain why that detail was not mentioned in the initial press release, nor why it took seven days to reveal the truth. Radio traffic from deputies on the scene during the incident communicated that the suspect had a firearm. Upon further investigation, it can now be confirmed that there was not a firearm found in the vehicle. There are still details unknown to us at this time due to calling for an independent criminal investigation in alignment with best practices for officer-involved shootings. The criminal investigation is being led by Michigan State Police. The deputies involved were placed on leave following the incident and we are cooperating fully with the ongoing criminal investigation. By stating in the second press release, "there was not a firearm found in the vehicle," they are likely indicating they knew he did not have a gun on him when they killed him. Prior Controversial Incident The shooting took place hours after Washtenaw deputies and other law enforcement agencies, including state police, were involved in a 30-hour standoff with a 53-year-old man suffering a mental health crisis who had been wielding a sword before barricading himself in his attic, according to Michigan Live. Cops ended up destroying the top half of his home with demolition equipment, tear gas and flash bang grenades, prompting neighbors and county commissioners to criticize the aggressive response. The man who had a prior history of mental illness proceedings was charged with four felony counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (felonious assault) and four felony counts of resisting arrest. The Washtenaw County Commission published a letter asking investigators to drop the charges against him. We are deeply troubled by the law enforcement response to the incident on West Cross Street in the City of Ypsilanti on January 4th and 5th, and by the charges that followed. Testimony from neighbors, advocates, and community members who spoke at our January 7th Board of Commissioners meeting reflects a person experiencing a clear mental health crisis, met with an overwhelmingly militarized response that caused significant fear and trauma to the individual involved and to the surrounding community. Despite several attempts to get support before Sunday, January 4th, there was a clear breakdown between 911 dispatch and local law enforcement that did not result in any prior Community Mental Health outreach. We ask that all law enforcement agencies involved to engage in thoughtful conversation about responses that prioritize mental health, safety, and dignity. The Washtenaw County Commission has not addressed the shooting of the man who did not have a shotgun, but that’s likely because they’re in the dark like the rest of us.
