EAST LANSING, Mich — The family of Isaiah Kirby, the Michigan State University student killed in an officer-involved shooting by East Lansing Police on April 15, held a press conference Tuesday alongside the Greater Lansing NAACP.
WATCH: Kirby family, Greater Lansing NAACP hold press conference on deadly officer-involved shooting in East Lansing
Kirby, 21, 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 that shooting happened after Kirby stabbed a man who was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Kirby's mother spoke at the press conference, describing 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 had been studying at MSU, was excited about a job interview in Texas, and was on track to graduate later that month.
She called on East Lansing Police and Michigan State Police to provide truth and transparency. She called on all law enforcement agencies to review and revamp procedures around less lethal techniques, questioning why deadly force was used against her son. She also 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 to the family with condolences, though the MSU president had.
The family's attorney said Kirby's mother counted at least 17 gunshot wounds on her son's body when the family was finally able to view him, including multiple wounds to his back. She said the family was forced to make the decision to cremate Kirby and did not have the opportunity for a proper burial, though the family plans to hold one by the end of the month.
The attorney said the family has encountered confusion, delay, and a disturbing lack of transparency since Kirby's death. She said the family was denied access to information, was not properly informed of access to Kirby's body, and after repeatedly requesting complete raw video evidence, was shown a highly edited video narrated by the agency that killed him. She said nothing shown in that video justified the level of deadly force used.
East Lansing police had originally planned to share a narrated timeline of the April 15 incident but changed those plans.
They said in a statement on Tuesday that after further consultation with the MSP about this specific case, the original narrated video is being expanded to include additional footage of the incident.
"As a result, later this week, after redactions as appropriate under law are completed, ELPD will release a narrated timeline of the officer-involved shooting, and additional redacted body-worn camera and fleet footage will be made available on the East Lansing website this week," the statement said. "This release will include video footage of the officer involved shooting and aid being rendered to both the stabbing victim and Isaiah Kirby.
The statement went on to say that "ELPD does not have any footage of the stabbing, footage from local businesses or any material from any of the other responding agencies, including, but not limited to the Michigan State Police. As MSP’s investigation moves forward, ELPD will continue to remain transparent and cooperate with their investigation. After MSP completes its investigation, the ELPD will conduct its own internal review."
Police said that on the day of the shooting, officers responded to reports of a theft at a nearby business that escalated into a stabbing.
"The suspect was observed running towards the officers on scene. Officers ordered the suspect to drop the knife multiple times but the suspect refused to cooperate," Brown said. "Officers responded to the threat by shooting the suspect. The suspect was evaluated by medical personnel on scene and was pronounced dead."
A stabbing victim, Douglas Mielock, was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. A member of his family spoke at Tuesday's East Lansing City Council meeting to share his story of the incident.
"He was simply leaving a barbershop after getting a haircut when he was violently attacked from behind by someone he had never met as he was getting into his car," Shelley Davis Boyd said during her public comment period.
The officers who fired their weapons were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.
Michigan State Police took over the investigation.
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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