EAST LANSING, Mich — East Lansing police have released narrated video, body-worn camera footage, and fleet footage Friday related to a stabbing and an officer-involved shooting on April 15, that left 21-year-old Michigan State University senior Isaiah Kirby dead.
WATCH: ELPD RELEASES FOOTAGE FROM OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING INVOLVING ISAIAH KIRBY
The video can be seen at the city's website here. Please note that some of the video may be disturbing, as it shows the moments of when Kirby was shot. The videos also contain explicit language throughout the incident.
The footage, redacted as appropriate under state law, has been made available following a meeting with the Kirby family, who police said will view unredacted footage the same day before the public release.
The release includes witness cellphone footage, video of the officer-involved shooting, and footage of aid being rendered to both the stabbing victim and Kirby.
ELPD officials say they do not have any footage of the actual stabbing incident from local businesses or any material from any of the other responding agencies.
After MSP completes its investigation, the ELPD says it will conduct its own internal review.
Family releases graphic photographs
Kirby's family and attorneys released graphic photographs of his body ahead of the footage release to highlight what they describe as the devastating impact of the shooting. Due to the extremely graphic nature of these images, we are not publishing them.
In a statement accompanying the photographs, Kirby's mother said she counted at least 17 gunshot wounds, including multiple wounds to his back, when she was able to view his body. She said the decision to release the photos came after viewing what their attorney described as a "highly edited" police video and after hearing remarks from a city council member the family believes misrepresented what happened.
The family's attorney said the shooting forced the family to make the heartbreaking decision to cremate Kirby. She also criticized what she described as delays, denial of access to information, and a lack of transparency since his death.
Press conference with Greater Lansing NAACP
The release of the photographs followed a press conference held by Kirby's family alongside the Greater Lansing NAACP.
WATCH: Kirby family calls for transparency after deadly officer-involved shooting
Kirby was shot and killed by multiple East Lansing police officers near the intersection of Abbot and Lake Lansing roads just after 6 p.m. on April 15. Police say the shooting happened after Kirby stabbed a man who was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
At the press conference, Kirby's mother described the grief of losing her firstborn son just days before his 22nd birthday and weeks after the family had visited him on campus for a March Madness game. She said Kirby was excited about a job interview in Texas and was on track to graduate later in April.
She called on East Lansing Police and Michigan State Police to provide truth and transparency, urging law enforcement agencies to review and strengthen procedures for less lethal techniques. She questioned why deadly force was used against her son and noted that, as of the press conference, no one from the East Lansing City Council, the mayor's office, the prosecutor's office, the attorney general's office, or the governor's office had reached out with condolences — although the MSU president had.
What police say happened
On the day of the shooting, police say they responded to reports of a theft at a nearby business that escalated into a stabbing. Officers say Kirby ran toward them with a knife and refused repeated commands to drop it, prompting them to open fire.
The stabbing victim, Douglas Mielock, was critically injured. At a city council meeting, a family member said Mielock was attacked from behind as he was getting into his car after a haircut.
WATCH: Our original report the night of the shooting
East Lansing Police had initially planned to release a narrated timeline of the April 15 incident but later expanded those plans to include additional footage.
The officers who fired their weapons remain on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings.
STATEMENT FROM FAMILY'S ATTORNEY
The Kirby Family's attorney Teresa A. Caine Bingman released the following statement Friday following ELPD's release of the video footage.
After reviewing multiple complete, unedited body camera footage, dash camera footage, and eyewitness videos, it is clear that Isaiah Kirby was met with an immediate and overwhelming use of deadly force.
Within moments of arriving on the scene, East Lansing police officers did not use non lethal options and immediately fired more than 20 rounds.
The videos also show officers continuing to shoot after Isaiah had fallen to the ground and appeared to have been dead from the initial gunshot wounds, which was the use of deadly force that was neither reasonable nor legally justified.
The raw video is consistent with what Isaiah’s mother, Karyn Kirby, observed when she viewed her son’s body and reported seeing 17 gunshot wounds to his body, including gunshot wounds to his back.
After seeing the videos, we now believe that there were more than 17 gunshot wounds that will be revealed once autopsy results are released. Nothing we have seen justified this extraordinary level of force that was neither necessary nor warranted under the circumstances.
The family remains committed to pursuing the truth, accountability, and justice for Isaiah Kirby.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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