The family of Owings Mills native Isaiah Christopher Kirby is speaking out for the first time since he was shot and killed by East Lansing police officers on April 15.
According to police, Isaiah was identified as a suspect in a theft that evolved into a stabbing at a business in the area of Lake Lansing and Abbot Roads. The situation later escalated into an officer-involved shooting, which resulted in Isaiah's death.
The victim, who police say suffered multiple stab wounds, was hospitalized and later released to begin recovering at home.
Isaiah was shot 17 times by officers with the East Lansing Police Department, according to a press release issued Wednesday from the family's attorney.
Karyn Kirby, Isaiah's mother, says he was a senior at Michigan State University (MSU), set to graduate in just a few weeks, with his family and friends looking forward to his success. At MSU, he was pursuing a degree in Zoology, with concentrations in Herpetology and Aquarium Science, with hopes of landing a career with the Austin Zoo in Texas after his interview scheduled for April 17.
Karyn says she and her family have been in East Lansing trying to understand what led to the shooting, but instead of clarity, they have only been met with confusion, limited information, and decisions being made without their knowledge.
"We have asked to see the evidence related to our son's death, including video footage, and have been told that what will be shown to us, and to the public, may be edited or compiled. We are requesting, clearly and unequivocally, to view the complete and unedited video and audio evidence," Karyn said.
Karyn said she counted the gunshot wounds on her son's body, including multiple wounds to his back. She says the condition of his face was "swollen beyond recognition," insisting that the level of force used was "devastating to even describe."
"I cannot unsee what I saw. I cannot unhear what I heard. No mother should ever have to hear a body bag being unzipped after her child was gunned down in the street by the police. Isaiah is more than a headline or a set of narratives that others are creating," Karyn said. "He was our son. Our brother. Our nephew. Our grandson. Our friend."
Attorney Teresa A. Caine Bingman, who represents the Kirby family, says East Lansing police officers "gunned down another Black man," adding "the loss of Black life during police encounters is a national crisis."
"Based on what his mother personally observed, including having counted at least 17 gunshot wounds in her son's body, including multiple wounds to his back, the use of deadly force in this case must be subjected to the highest level of independent scrutiny. The law is clear: deadly force is justified only where there is an immediate threat of death or serious injury. That determination must be grounded in objective facts - not assumptions, not evolving narratives, and not conclusions reached after the fact," Bingman said.
An update from the East Lansing Police Department released Monday says the process of reviewing and producing a video timeline of events had begun, which will be shared with the public in the "upcoming weeks." The officers involved will also be identified at that time, according to police.
Michigan State Police will be the lead agency in the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
At this time, the Kirby family has requested privacy as the investigation continues.
"We want the truth. We want transparency. We want accountability – and we demand Justice," said Karyn.
On May 7th, Teresa A. Caine Bingman, the attorney for the family of Isaiah Kirby, released this statement:
Today, the family of Isaiah Kirby viewed what the East Lansing Police Department characterized as video evidence related to the fatal shooting of Isaiah Kirby. What was presented was not transparency. It was a highly edited, selectively compiled, and deeply one-sided presentation that raises more questions than answers. Nothing shown today justified the level of deadly force used against Isaiah Kirby.
The presentation did not provide the complete sequence of events, full officer interactions, uninterrupted body camera footage, or the full context necessary for the public to independently evaluate what occurred. Instead, the family was shown a curated narrative prepared by the very agency whose officers killed Isaiah.
The family and the public have repeatedly demanded the release of the complete, raw, and unedited video evidence. To date, East Lansing Police Department and Michigan State Police have refused to provide that transparency.
When someone is killed by police, the truth cannot be filtered through edited clips, selective camera angles, or a narrative shaped after the fact. The video presented to the family was narrated by the East Lansing Police Chief in a manner that appeared designed to reinforce the narrative advanced by ELPD during their press conference immediately following the April 15th shooting.
Isaiah Kirby was a 21-year-old Michigan State University senior with a bright future ahead of him. He was weeks away from graduation and looked forward to participating in an interview for his dream job. He was a son, a scholar, and a young Black man whose life mattered.
The legal standard in this case is not whether allegations were made against Isaiah. The question is whether deadly force was objectively reasonable and legally justified at the precise moment it was used. Nothing presented today answered that question.
What remains deeply troubling is the extraordinary level of force used, including the number of shots fired and the fact that Isaiah sustained multiple gunshot wounds throughout his body, including wounds to his back. These are critical facts that were neither clearly depicted nor meaningfully addressed in the video presentation. These circumstances demand independent scrutiny and full transparency.
The family deserves the truth. The public deserves transparency. And this community deserves confidence that investigations involving police officers’ use of deadly force are conducted fairly, objectively, and without efforts to shape public narrative through selective presentation of evidence.
Our office will continue pursuing all available legal avenues to obtain the complete, unedited evidence and to ensure full accountability. As our investigation continues, we are asking for the community’s help. Anyone with information, video, or audio related to the events of April 15, 2026 in East Lansing is urged to come forward. Please contact the Justice for Isaiah Kirby tip line at 1-844-9ISAIAH (1-844-947-2424). Even the smallest detail may be critical.
