The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office has released dash cam footage from a deputy-involved fatal shooting of a man who fled police in a vehicle chase in Ypsilanti. The sheriff's office previously confirmed that no firearm was found in the man's vehicle, despite initial police reports to dispatch that the man had a shotgun.
"Upon further investigation, it can now be confirmed that there was not a firearm found in the vehicle," Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer said in a Jan. 13 statement.
On Jan. 6, 2026, two 911 callers, one at 1:24 a.m. and one at 1:30 a.m., reported a white moving or construction-style van driving erratically in Ypsilanti Township, as heard in now-released 911 dispatch recordings. In the recording, the second caller said his wife was threatened by the driver with what he believed to be a handgun.
Soon after the 911 calls, deputies responded, observed the suspected vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, a Jan. 22 statement from the county sheriff's office said. The van did not stop, and a vehicle pursuit began.
"During the pursuit, the suspect van drove erratically and at times attempted to reverse towards responding deputies," the statement said. "The pursuit continued into Ypsilanti City where it ended following a collision and vehicle crash."
Dash cam footage showed the police vehicle initiating a collision with the van, followed by the van tipping onto its side. The crash occurred on Prospect Road near Towner Street. Deputies approached the vehicle, verbally ordering the driver to show his hands.
"He's got a gun," is heard shouted by one of the deputies in the dash cam video.
The footage shows shots fired by deputies. The sheriff's office confirmed in its statement that multiple deputies discharged their firearms. One deputy is heard reporting in the video that shots had been fired. The man in the vehicle died on the scene, said a Jan. 13 statement from Dyer.
The driver killed was a 35-year-old man from St. Clair County, the Jan. 22 statement said.
"The individual’s name and additional details are not being released by WCSO due to the ongoing investigation, privacy considerations, and out of respect for the individual’s family," the statement said.
The deputies involved were immediately placed on administrative leave following the incident, the sheriff's office said. An independent investigation of the incident is currently underway by Michigan State Police.
