Police release name of man shot by police on Lansing's south side; 4 officers placed on leave
LANSING – A Lansing police officer and three Michigan State Police troopers have been placed on leave after the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old Lansing man Thursday evening on the city's south side.
Lansing police on Friday identified the man who died as Nicolas Micko and gave a brief narrative of what happened during the incident. Micko was shot after threatening officers and moving toward them with a handgun, the department said in a news release.
"Right now, we are asking for the community's patience and to hold off on any judgements until the investigation is finished," the agency said in the news release. "Officer involved shootings are tragic incidents that require police departments to be open and transparent with the public during the investigation."
The department also said it intends to release video footage from the incident "when appropriate and properly cleared by Michigan State Police," who are investigating the shooting.
Police on Thursday confirmed officers shot someone but released few details about the incident, which happened shortly after 5 p.m. and prompted them to close a section of Aurelius Road between Cavanaugh and Jolly roads.
In an update early Friday afternoon, state police released the gender and age of the person who was shot and said one Lansing officer and three troopers were involved.
On Thursday night, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee said at a press briefing in the parking lot of a convenience store that Lansing officers responded to a complaint of shots fired about 5 p.m. in the 2000 block of Irene Court, a side street off of Aurelius north of Jolly.
Officers who arrived at the scene called for backup, and Michigan State Police officers who were in the area also responded, Sosebee said.
He said officers encountered a suspect with a gun and shot that person, who was pronounced dead at the scene. A handgun was recovered at the scene and Lansing Fire Department personnel assisted at the scene, Sosebee said.
Lansing police released more information on Friday afternoon, saying officers responded to 911 calls about a man pointing a gun at people on Irene Court. They moved toward the sound of gunfire and spotted a man matching the description provided by callers.
Micko was shot after he "produced a handgun and threatened the officers while advancing towards them, which resulted in an officer involved shooting," the release said.
Lansing police Officer James Zolnai is on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation, officials said.
The names of the three troopers involved in the shooting had not been released on Friday afternoon.
Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez said detectives from the agency's Third District headquarters in Flint are investigating the incident. That's consistent with its policy to call in detectives from a different district when troopers use deadly force, he said. The Lansing area falls within MSP's First District.
The incident is the second shooting involving a police officer in the Lansing area this year. On Monday, a Bath Township sergeant fatally shot a man in a mobile home park.
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 4 officers on leave after Lansing man shot on city's south side
