A 911 caller in Lansing reported a man with a gun banging on doors and windows early on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. The Lansing Police Department released this Critical Incident Community Briefing on Thursday, October 1, 2026. What follows is the department’s own account, from its briefing and press conference.
At about 4:24 a.m., Lansing officers were sent to the 600 block of East Jolly Road on a report of a man with a firearm knocking on doors and windows. The 911 caller then ended the call with dispatch.
When officers arrived, they made contact with a man who almost immediately put a gun to his head. Several officers negotiated with him in the apartment complex parking lot. A supervisor on scene directed an officer to transition to a less-lethal option, and that officer moved to his department-issued Taser. The department says there was one Taser attempt and it had some effect; how much is not known.
Free — the opening chapterUnits Are SurroundedFive shootings in five months between members of the Soboba Indian Reservation and law enforcement in the Hemet area of Riverside County. My story about being in the middle of it. The full book is coming.Read how it starts
Six officers fired. The man, Zachary Dunn, 29, of Lansing, died. The department says he lived at that apartment complex. No officers or residents were injured.
The video is the 911 audio and three views in order: two officers’ body-worn cameras and one patrol car camera. Per the department, it stops just before the shots were fired and resumes as officers approach to render aid. The department says that decision was made with the family, who viewed the video privately before its release.
The department confirmed the phone number used for the 911 call belonged to Dunn. It could not confirm who made the call. The firearm recovered at the scene was not a real gun. The department did not say what it was.
The Michigan State Police are investigating, per department policy, followed by a prosecutor’s review. The six officers are on administrative leave for the length of the investigation. Lansing PD’s internal review starts after that. No finding has been published.
The department’s closing card naming the officers has been removed from the video.
Units Are Surrounded
The new book from Ray Dietrich. Five shootings in five months in Riverside County. The full book is coming - read how it starts, free.
