There was no firearm recovered in the car of a driver who was shot and killed by police in Ypsilanti after fleeing officers in a vehicle.
Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies originally reported to dispatch that the driver had a gun, said a statement from Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer issued on Jan. 13, 2026. It is now confirmed that no firearm was found in the vehicle.
On Jan. 6, 2026, deputies responded to a call about a felony assault in Ypsilanti Township. At 1:54 a.m., deputies located the suspected vehicle nearby, a van with no license plate or headlights in the Michigan Avenue and Prospect Road area, Dyer said in a previous statement on Jan. 6, 2026.
Dyer said in the Jan. 6 statement that deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver of the suspected vehicle did not stop. Dyer said that deputies pursued the driver, who drove the wrong way down Grove Street, and attempted to ram officer and deputy vehicles.
The vehicle was then involved in a crash with a deputy vehicle near Prospect and Towner, the Jan. 6 statement said. Officers on the scene reported to dispatch that shots had been fired and that the driver was armed with a shotgun. The driver died on the scene.
"Upon further investigation, it can now be confirmed that there was not a firearm found in the vehicle," Dyer said in the Jan. 13 statement.
The deputies involved were placed on leave and the shooting is currently under investigation by the Michigan State Police, Dyer said.
"We recognize the gravity of this incident and the profound impact that any loss of life has on the community, the impacted family, and first responders," Dyer said in the Jan. 13 statement. "We will continue to share necessary information as it becomes available while also ensuring the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation."
