Man shot by police had fake gun and may have called 911 himself amid mental health crisis

Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said 29-year-old Zachary Dunn, who was shot and killed by police on Sept. 23, had a fake gun and may have called 911 on himself in what police were treating as a mental health crisis.

Police have said the man pointed a gun at officers around 4:30 a.m. at the 600 block of E. Jolly Road, where a major road reconstruction meets an apartment complex.

Video shared in a news conference Thursday shows Dunn standing in a parking lot, with several car lengths separating him and several officers.

In most of the video, Dunn holds an object to his head. Several officers talked to him, referring to it as a gun and at least one officer asked him to lower the gun without aiming it in their direction.

Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus, during a news conference on Oct. 1, 2026. Mike Ellis/City Pulse

After several minutes, an officer approached from the side and fired a Taser at Dunn. Dunn ran away. Video of the short foot chase appears to show him turning and raising his arm, pointing it in the direction of the officers who were pursuing him.

Police released a 10-minute video with footage from several body cameras and vehicle cameras and including a 911 call. The video is on YouTube.

The video stops before the moment of gunfire and resumes with officers treating Dunn. It is not clear how many shots were fired but Backus said six officers are on administrative leave and that those officers are believed to have fired their guns.

Screenshot of police video, showing a still image highlighted by police. The video was taken from a police vehicle and has a reflection.

Backus said the decision to not share that part of the shooting was made by him, in conjunction with the family. He said family members were shown the video before the public release.

The situation, Backus said, was immediately flagged by officers as a mental health crisis. He said all of Lansing’s officers have had training in de-escalation and half of the officers there had gone through more advanced training.

“In this case, you have almost a full depiction of how this event unfolded from start to finish,” Backus said.

The 911 call was placed by a number associated with Dunn, Backus said, but he could not say whether Dunn had made the call.

The caller reported someone banging on apartments with a gun.

Dunn lived at the apartment complex, Backus said.

The Michigan State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting and Backus said his department would do an internal review, which could include best practices and changes going forward, once the State Police finishes its investigation and the case is reviewed by the Attorney General’s office.

“I am proud of the professionalism our officers demonstrated during this event,” Backus said.

Six officers were placed on administrative leave and Backus said all had discharged their firearms. They are: