A man is dead after Lansing police officers opened fire on him in a south Lansing neighborhood early Wednesday morning, following reports that he was armed and banging on doors and windows. No residents or officers were hurt in the encounter, and police say there is no ongoing threat to the public.
According to the Lansing State Journal, officers responded to the 600 block of East Jolly Road at 4:21 a.m. after 911 calls reported that a man was armed with a handgun. A separate account from WILX places the response at the 600 block of Jolly Road, just east of Cedar Street, around 4:30 a.m., also describing reports of a man banging on doors and windows while armed. The two outlets give slightly different estimates for when officers responded, and both describe reports of an armed man.
Police say the man died at the scene following the officer-involved shooting. CBS News Detroit reported that a man died in a shooting with Lansing police. Officials have not identified him or released his age, and they have not said what led up to the shooting.
Multiple Agencies Responded to the Scene
The scene drew a large law enforcement presence overnight, with the station's report noting that the Lansing Police Department, East Lansing Police Department and Ingham County Sheriff's Office all responded. Police confirmed that no Lansing residents and no officers were injured during the incident, and they said there is no current threat to the public.
What sparked the confrontation, whether the man fired his weapon, and how many officers discharged theirs all remain unclear based on what authorities have released so far. Per the same account, police have not answered those questions publicly, and no additional details about the man's identity have surfaced.
Michigan State Police Now Leading the Investigation
As is standard practice for Lansing police shootings involving officers, the case has been handed off to outside investigators. The investigation has been turned over to Michigan State Police, the Lansing State Journal reported, in keeping with departmental policy anytime an officer-involved shooting occurs.
That handoff means answers about what happened in the moments before the shooting, including any body-camera footage, witness statements or forensic findings, will likely come from state investigators rather than Lansing police directly. For now, police officials were scheduled to hold a press conference at 4 p.m. to provide the latest updates.
