LANSING, Mich. — Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth released short video clips showing a man running toward officers with a knife in response to what he called “public sentiment,” WLNS reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, the man was initially spotted walking the wrong direction on a highway. Multiple law enforcement personnel arrived and located the man, who was reportedly non-compliant. Officers said he pulled out multiple knives shortly after they made contact, according to the report.
Wriggelsworth said officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for over 13 minutes. Dashcam footage shown during the news briefing captured the man running with knives in both of his hands near a reversing vehicle. Officers reportedly deployed a TASER, but it was ineffective.
Another video clip shows the man, armed with a knife, jumping over a median barrier and running across a median toward officers standing outside a cruiser. He jumps over another barrier and runs around the side of the cruiser as officers back away.
“To be clear, the subject was not handcuffed prior to the shooting,” Wriggelsworth said. “We never even touched the subject until after force was used.”
The sheriff added that once the man was shot, multiple law enforcement and medical personnel provided life-saving aid for approximately 25 minutes, but the man ultimately died at the scene. His identity has not yet been released, according to the report.
The Ingham County deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave, per protocol. Wriggelsworth did not take questions during the briefing but stated that “public sentiment” prompted the release of additional context, including two still images of the suspect close to officers during the encounter, according to the report.
The sheriff acknowledged the tragic nature of the event.
“Every loss of life is sad and tragic, this one included. No law enforcement professional ever wants to experience this.”
One officer sustained minor injuries during the incident but was not hospitalized, according to the City of Mason.
Michigan State Police are conducting an independent investigation, according to the report.
