Lansing police release video in officer-involved shooting

Lansing police have released body cam video and 911 audio of an incident that led to police officers fatally shooting a man last week.

Police shot 35-year-old Nicolas Micko around 5 p.m. Jan. 5 near the 2000 block of Irene Court in Lansing, officials said.

In a video posted Thursday on the Lansing Police Department’s YouTube channel, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee first offers his condolences to the Micko family.

“This is a tragic and unfortunate incident for the family, the Lansing Police Department and the Lansing community,” he said. “As part of our continuing effort to provide transparency, we are now able to provide the following video and still photographs of the incident. Although we are mindful of the Michigan State Police’s task of objectively investigating the incident, we are also sensitive to the community need to view video footage of the police actions.”

Sosebee noted that the Michigan State Police criminal investigation into the use of deadly force is ongoing.

“Therefore this video is only a brief account of the events to help you better understand the circumstances that led to this critical incident,” he said. “This incident is best described as an active shooter in a Lansing neighborhood.”

Sosebee thanked the community members who called 911 as well as the troopers and officers involved.

“Lastly, as the sanctity of life is most important, I want to commend the Lansing police officers who provided medical aid and CPR to the subject,” he said. “Any loss of life is unfortunate and this case is no exception.”

The video then plays audio from two of several 911 calls Sosebee said the police department received about a man pointing a gun and shooting.

In one of the calls, a woman says: “There is the neighbor kid outside. He’s been tripping all day. He has a gun now and he’s shoo- is pointing it at us.”

The dispatcher tells the caller to go inside her house and lock the doors.

“Please hurry,” the woman says.

The woman is heard telling someone that the man is shooting and to not open the door.

The dispatcher assures the woman that there are a lot of people headed her way.

Following brief audio of another caller reporting a man with a gun, body cam video is shown after officers arrive at the scene. Multiple gunshots can be heard.

The group of officers consisted of Michigan State Police troopers and one Lansing police officer, Sosebee said as he narrates the video. They move toward the threat.

“This team locates a man in the street matching the description of the subject,” Sosebee said. “The subject begins to move toward the team. The team gives the subject commands in an effort to make sure he was unarmed and no longer a deadly threat. The subject stops walking blades himself and reaches his hand toward his waistband on the right side of his body, where he retrieves a handgun. He then brings up the gun from his waistband and with two hands points the gun at the officers. The officers communicate to each other the deadly threat. In an effort to protect themselves and the neighbors from an active and deadly threat, the officers deemed it necessary to stop the threat by using deadly force.”

The body cam video then continues showing a man walking toward officers as they yell at him to put his hands up.

According to text in the YouTube video, the officers then shoot the suspect. The video does not show the shooting.

The video then shows medical aid and CPR being given to the man. The final still images show the man’s handgun laying near his body.

“A citizen calling 911 to report an active shooter is the type of call that no citizen wants to make and one that no police officer wants to hear over the radio,” Sosebee said. “An active shooter in the neighborhood is a stressful and life-changing event for the community in general and specifically the citizens and police officers involved. However, in this instance, under the immense pressure of the event, the citizens of Lansing and law enforcement worked together to stop an ongoing and deadly threat to the community.”

Last week, Lansing police said the officer involved, James Zolnai, a five-year veteran, was on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the Michigan State Police investigation. The police chief also met with Micko's family.

"Once the Michigan State Police have completed their investigation into the shooting and there is no likelihood of impeding the criminal investigation, the Lansing Police Department will initiate its internal investigation into policy compliance," officials said.