bigrus

Prosecutors rule Wayne police were justified in shooting suicidal man

Harry November 14, 2024

No charges will be filed against the Wayne police officer who shot and killed 40-year-old John Zook Jr. after calling 911 to report he was trying to die by suicide, according to Wayne County prosecutors.

Prosecutors said the officers acted in self-defense and that the fatal shooting on June 18 was justified, according to a press release issued Wednesday morning.

According to the press release, Wayne police officers were in the 35000 block of West Michigan Avenue. at an apartment on the block, responding to a report that Zook had just attempted to die by suicide by cutting himself with a knife. He told officers that he had a 4-year-old child with him and that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia but had stopped taking his medication.

When police arrived, Zook opened the door shirtless and holding the knife pointed at the ground, according to the press release. He had many cuts on his body. One officer pointed his stun gun at Zook, while the other pointed his gun at him and ordered Zook to drop the knife.

Zook did not drop the knife and walked toward the officers, according to the press release. An officer tried to use his taser, but Zook was too close to work. The second officer pointed his gun at Zook, drew his stun gun, and fired both at the same time as Zook approached.

“When officers used force, they objectively knew that Mr. Zook was armed with a knife, which would be legally considered a dangerous weapon,” according to a press release from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office. “Mr. Zook was apparently actively having a mental health crisis, was not acting rationally, and was simply attempting to kill himself. He was unresponsive to commands while standing armed at a very short distance from the officers.”

Officers did not use deadly force until Zook “objectively posed an imminent threat to their safety when he came toward them after attempting to use a stun gun to subdue him.”

According to prosecutors, Zook was shot four times because he refused to drop the knife. The man, who died a short time later, was found to have at least 54 stab wounds in his neck, chest and abdomen.

The child slept throughout the incident and was removed from the apartment unharmed, according to prosecutors.

[email protected]