GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County Medical Examiner ruled Da'Quain Johnson's death in an officer-involved shooting a homicide.
The determination was made on February 19, the same day Johnson died at the hospital.
FOX 17 obtained a copy of the death certificate on Friday, February 27.
Johnson was pursued by officers while he was riding his bike on the southeast side of Grand Rapids on February 18. Dash camera footage released by the Grand Rapids Police Department shows Johnson slipped while trying to dismount his bike in the parking lot of an apartment complex near MLK Jr. Street and Eastern Avenue.
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A police K9 first reached Johnson, appearing to bite him on the arm, before two officers moved in, the video showed. The officers did not get the 32-year-old to comply with orders to show his hands, with one officer shouting he had a gun seconds before shooting Johnson multiple times.
The medical examiner determined Johnson died as a a result of the action of another human being, which is the definition of homicide. That ruling does not determine whether the killing was justified or criminal.
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Doctors declared Johnson dead at 12:11 a.m. on February 19 in the hospital's operating room, matching the narrative provided by police later that day. The medical examiner noted the only wounds that contributed to his death were gunshot wounds to his back.
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The use of deadly force by Grand Rapids police remains under investigation by Michigan State Police. Past officer-involved shooting investigations in Grand Rapids took roughly six to eight weeks from the shooting to a determination by the prosecutor's office.
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The officers involved in the situation remain on administrative leave.
