Death by Cop 2026
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Da’Quain Tre Johnson
Age : 31
Gender : Male
Race : Black
Date : 02/18/2026
Location : 600 block of Eastern Ave SE
City : Grand Rapids
County : Kent
State : Michigan
Agency : Grand Rapids Police Department
Officer(s) :Unknown
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during K-9 encounter behind apartment building
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY : On 02/18/2026, Grand Rapids Police officers encountered Da’Quan Johnson behind an apartment building in the 600 block of Eastern Ave SE at night during an investigation and deployed a K-9 while attempting to detain him. Police alleged the K-9 made contact and bit Johnson during the encounter and officers closed distance while he was in the rear lot area of the residential property. Police alleged that during the K-9 engagement Johnson produced a handgun, prompting officers to open fire and shoot him. He was transported for medical treatment and later died from his injuries. Police statements frame the shooting as occurring immediately after the alleged display of a firearm during the K-9 contact in a confined back-of-building environment.
Significant public pushback and protests developed in Grand Rapids following the shooting, with demonstrators marching and demanding release of body camera footage, a full timeline, and clarity on the decision to deploy a police dog prior to lethal force. Family members and community supporters publicly challenged the official narrative, disputing the police account of the sequence and questioning whether the escalation from K-9 deployment to gunfire was justified in the tight residential setting behind the apartment complex.
The family and protest organizers have emphasized that key evidence, including full video and a detailed reconstruction of positioning and commands, had not been publicly released in early reporting, and they contest the reliance on police descriptions that Johnson had a handgun at the moment force was used. Their statements focus on the rapid escalation, the use of a K-9 bite during the encounter, and the lack of independently released footage to corroborate the alleged police account of the firearm and immediate threat.
On 02/18/2026, Grand Rapids Police officers encountered Da’Quan Johnson behind an apartment building in the 600 block of Eastern Ave SE at night during an investigation and deployed a K-9 while attempting to detain him. Police alleged the K-9 made contact and bit Johnson during the encounter and officers closed distance while he was in the rear lot area of the residential property. Police alleged that during the K-9 engagement Johnson produced a handgun, prompting officers to open fire and shoot him. He was transported for medical treatment and later died from his injuries. Police statements frame the shooting as occurring immediately after the alleged display of a firearm during the K-9 contact in a confined back-of-building environment.
Significant public pushback and protests developed in Grand Rapids following the shooting, with demonstrators marching and demanding release of body camera footage, a full timeline, and clarity on the decision to deploy a police dog prior to lethal force. Family members and community supporters publicly challenged the official narrative, disputing the police account of the sequence and questioning whether the escalation from K-9 deployment to gunfire was justified in the tight residential setting behind the apartment complex.
The family and protest organizers have emphasized that key evidence, including full video and a detailed reconstruction of positioning and commands, had not been publicly released in early reporting, and they contest the reliance on police descriptions that Johnson had a handgun at the moment force was used. Their statements focus on the rapid escalation, the use of a K-9 bite during the encounter, and the lack of independently released footage to corroborate the alleged police account of the firearm and immediate threat.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/grand-rapids-police-investigating-shooting-involving-officer-wednesday-night/69-2a55e2c9-8497-48f2-aa30-5d4295438377
https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/grpd-man-shot-by-officer-has-died/
https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/community-marches-after-police-shoot-kill-man-in-grand-rapids/