The family of a man shot by East Lansing police officers is continuing to search for answers nearly six months after his death.
Four officers fired around 20 shots at 21-year-old Michigan State University student Isaiah Kirby in April. He was suspected of stabbing a local attorney earlier that day.
Attorney Teresa Bingman said police must prove that Kirby posed an immediate threat of serious harm for each shot fired at him.
“Most importantly, the justification for firing an initial shot does not automatically justify every subsequent shot. Each use of deadly force must be evaluated in light of the circumstances as they unfold,” Bingman said. “And let me be very clear about this: An allegation of criminal conduct does not strip a person of their constitutional rights. It is not a death sentence.”
Isaiah Kirby’s mother, Karyn Kirby, said inquiries about the status of the Michigan Attorney General’s investigation into the case and the four ELPD officers who had been placed on leave, along with requests to release autopsy reports and investigative documents, have not been acknowledged.
“All we want is answers. All I want to know is what happened to my kid. Nobody can tell me,” Kirby said. “I know what happened to him. Like, you’ve all seen the video. We know what happened. But did it have to actually happen? No, not at all, under any circumstances.”
The last update on the city's webpage dedicated to sharing information about the shooting was on May 15. That's when the body-camera footage of the incident was released.
Spokespeople for the Michigan Department of Attorney General and the East Lansing Police Department did not return requests for comment Friday morning.
Kirby said she understands thorough investigations take time, but after nearly six months, she said it’s time for answers—or at least some communication.
“No report, no lawsuit, no amount of money, no apology, nothing will bring my child back,” Kirby said. “I painfully wake up every single day knowing that my firstborn, that made me a mother, is not here. That’s a whole other feeling beyond belief.”
Kirby spoke at a townhall Thursday night meant to map out next steps for advocates and demands for city officials.
The consensus among attendees was that they’re not backing down in their fight to change the leadership of the East Lansing Police Department.
“I’m telling you all this as a resident of Maryland coming into your community that this is a problem in your community,” Kirby said. “My son had to be an end result of that, and that’s a problem for me. That’s a real problem for me.”
Groups like the Lansing NAACP have called for Police Chief Jen Brown to resign or be fired for more than a year after multiple incidents they characterize as racist, including Kirby’s death.
So far, city leaders have shown little sign of budging, according to Lansing NAACP President James McCurtis.
But he said advocates can’t afford to be discouraged.
“We cannot be lethargic. We can’t be,” McCurtis said. “We can’t allow this to slow us down. We have to continue fighting and protecting and speaking out about police brutality.”
Organizers considered a number of possible actions they could take to try to build momentum, including staging a sit-in outside the doors of a future East Lansing City Council meeting to block City Council members from entering the chamber.
Participants were asked to choose a single word describing how they felt coming into the townhall, with sticky notes reading things like “disgusted” and “slavery.”
On the way out, they wrote words like “engaged” and “ready to work.”
Organizers also plan to put a new billboard up targeting Brown ahead of the Michigan State University-University of Michigan football game.
“Just as there is no way to bring Isaiah back, there is no way for her to reclaim her reputation and credibility in East Lansing,” said Kirby family spokesperson Adam Bingman with Ambassador Strategies. “And so, my whole thing is, either she steps aside gracefully, or the community finds a way to get rid of her. Period, point blank and simple. There are no middle ground victories here.”
