Death by Cop 2021-2025
Search fatalities
You can use any or all of the fields to refine the search.
Zachary Joseph Johnson
Age : 28
Gender : Male
Race : White
Date : 08/14/2023
Location : South Slocum Road near Neil Road
City : Muskegon Township
County : Muskegon
State : Michigan
Agency : Muskegon County Sheriff's Office; Michigan State Police; Muskegon Township Police Department; Fruitport Township Police Department
Officer(s) :Joshua Hankins (wounded deputy); officers who fired fatal shots not publicly identified
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during domestic violence call
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/13/2023, at approximately 10:15 p.m., Muskegon Township Police Department and Muskegon Heights Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance involving a report that a gun had been fired inside a residence. Before officers arrived, 28-year-old Zachary Joseph Johnson left the scene in a Subaru Forester.
At approximately 12:52 a.m. on 08/14/2023, an off-duty Muskegon County Sheriff's Office deputy located Johnson's vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Johnson continued driving away while deputies, Michigan State Police troopers, Muskegon Township officers, and Fruitport Township officers pursued him for several miles.
The pursuit ended when Johnson's Subaru entered a ditch on South Slocum Road near Neil Road outside Ravenna. Deputies approached the vehicle and attempted to arrest Johnson at gunpoint. During the encounter, Johnson fired multiple shots, striking Muskegon County Deputy Joshua Hankins several times. Other deputies and officers returned fire, striking Johnson. He died at the scene. Deputy Hankins was transported to Trinity Health Muskegon, treated for multiple gunshot wounds, and released from the hospital later that morning.
The Michigan State Police assumed responsibility for the investigation under Michigan's officer-involved shooting protocol. On 08/21/2023, the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office identified the deceased as Zachary Joseph Johnson.
