Prosecutor Review Pending

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County Prosecutor's Office has not yet announced a determination on the fatal shooting of Da'Quain Johnson by a Grand Rapids Police Officer, according to a Michigan State Police report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The investigation wraps up March 3 when Michigan State Police forward their findings to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker's Office, which will then decide if the officer's actions were justified in the Feb. 18 shooting at the Eastern Lofts Apartment complex parking lot.

Weapon Details Revealed

The Michigan State Police incident report confirms that investigators recovered a tan two-tone Taurus 9mm handgun at the scene with eight rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. The report also states that hospital medical staff found a baggy containing approximately 10 grams of suspected crack cocaine on Johnson's body.

According to the report, investigators claim video evidence shows Johnson was prone while a police K-9 unit was latched onto his upper arm. They noted that Johnson's right elbow appeared to "flare outward," which they said is consistent with someone pulling an object from their waistband area.

The report further states that the handgun fell near Johnson's right hip during the struggle.

Civil Rights Attorneys Question Police Narrative

Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Ven Johnson, who represent Johnson's family, have called his death an "assassination" and dispute the Grand Rapids Police Department's account of events.

The attorneys argue that the police narrative of Johnson reaching for a gun contradicts body camera and bystander footage, which they say dispute the claim that he was pointing a weapon at officers when he was shot three times in the back.

"I agree with Ben, something's off here. I don't get what they're trying to do," Ven Johnson said in an interview with the Michigan Advance. "I think Mr. Crump would agree, that'd be the biggest screw up of all time in investigation history."

Questions About Redacted Report

Both lawyers also raised concerns about the level of redaction in copies of the investigative report released to the Michigan Advance. The documents include redactions of the names of officers directly involved in the shooting.

"If Mr. Crump and I move forward with the lawsuit, which at this point certainly looks likely, one of the many depositions that we'll be taking in this case are the laboratory folks that analyze those," Johnson said.

The family has demanded transparency, with Angelica Johnson, Da'Quain's mother, calling for the release of officer names since his death on Feb. 18.

"If they were proud of what they had done, they would own it," Crump said. "If they could justify what they have done, they would own it. If this was within policy"

Body Camera Footage Limited

Grand Rapids Police released a limited amount of body camera and dashcam footage the day after the shooting, but the department cannot release more footage as the Michigan State Police investigation remains ongoing.

Interim Police Chief Joe Trigg stated that the department can't share additional footage until the investigation concludes.

Community Response

Da'Quain Johnson's aunt and grandfather have spoken at protests outside Grand Rapids City Hall, demanding answers in Johnson's death. The community continues to call for accountability in the case.

The Kent County Prosecutor's Office has not yet announced a determination on the shooting, and the case will proceed through the normal legal process.

Sources

• Michigan Advance: https://michiganadvance.com/2026/03/26/lawyers-for-man-killed-by-grand-rapids-police-officer-raise-questions-about-investigative-reports/
• WZZM-TV: https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/daquain-johnson-had-loaded-handgun-with-round-in-the-chamber-when-grpd-officer-fatally-shot-him-police-report-says/69-57f06798-38e8-42e9-8107-6fe1f76979d6