WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office released new footage from a pursuit that ended with deputies shooting and killing an unarmed driver.
The shooting happened in Ypsilanti early on Jan. 6, following a chase. During a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer said that there were two 911 calls made about the suspect vehicle, which was a white van.
Previous coverage: Driver shot, killed by Washtenaw County deputies in Ypsilanti had no gun, sheriff says
The first call, placed at 1:24 a.m. on Jan. 6, was a report that the suspect vehicle was being driven erratically.
A second call at 1:30 a.m. reported that the suspect had threatened his wife with what was believed to be a gun.
As deputies responded to the 911 calls, they found the suspect vehicle in Ypsilanti Township and tried to conduct a traffic stop. The driver did not stop, prompting a pursuit.
Video shows the suspect vehicle leading deputies on a chase and at one point traveling on the wrong side of the road. The footage also shows the suspect stopping and reversing toward deputies’ patrol cars at times.
The chase ended when the van crashed near the Washtenaw County Human Services Center and the Villa at Parkridge Nursing Home, located on Prospect and Towner streets in Ypsilanti, coming to a rest on its side.
That’s when the deputies ran toward the van, giving commands for the suspect to show their hands.
A deputy yelled “gun” before multiple deputies fired shots at the van, killing the driver, who has been identified as a 35-year-old St. Clair County man. He was the only occupant of the suspect vehicle.
The roof of the van had multiple bullet holes following the shooting.
“The release of this video footage today is intended to provide transparency regarding the sequence of events based on currently available information,” according to the sheriff’s office. “It is not intended to draw conclusions or interfere with the independent investigation being led by the Michigan State Police into this matter.”
No deputies were injured or hit by the suspect vehicle, Dyer said.
After the shooting, the sheriff’s office later clarified on Jan. 13 that the driver who was killed after reportedly pointing a shotgun at them actually didn’t have a gun.
Dyer said four deputies remain on leave as Michigan State Police investigate the shooting.
The sheriff also said the department doesn’t have access to all evidence or investigative findings in this case, as it is still an active MSP investigation.