Officers acted in self-defense in shooting of Wayne man

The following is a press release from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office regarding the shooting and death of Wayne resident, John Zook, Jr.
The official statement was released on Wednesday, November 13th.
“Wayne Police Officers Acted in Lawful Self-Defense: On June 18, 2024, at approximately 2:35 p.m., Wayne Police Department officers responded to an apartment building in the 35000 block of West Michigan Avenue in Wayne, Michigan for a reported attempted suicide. A man at that location, John Zook, Jr., 40, of Wayne had called 911 and reported that he just tried to kill himself by cutting himself all over with a knife. He further reported that he had his four- year-old child in the apartment with him. He said that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was not on medication because he had stopped taking it some time ago.
The two first responding officers always had operable body cameras while responding to the scene. Officers A and B knocked at the apartment door. *Upon opening the door Mr. Zook was holding a knife in his right hand with the handle facing upward and the blade downward. Mr. Zook was shirtless and appeared to be standing approximately six to eight feet away from officers with numerous visible cut wounds on his torso. Officer A then pointed a Taser at Mr. Zook and Officer B had his service weapon.
Both officers repeatedly told Mr. Zook to drop his knife. During this time Mr. Zook walked back and forth between the area just inside the door close to the officers and deeper into the adjacent kitchen, while holding the knife in his right hand. After fifteen seconds of commands Officer A told Mr. Zook he would be tased. Mr. Zook did not drop the knife and instead walked toward the officers. Officer A attempted to use his Taser, but it did not take effect when Mr. Zook was standing a short distance away.
Within seconds, Officer B drew his Taser with his left hand while still pointing his service weapon at Mr. Zook. Simultaneously, Mr. Zook could be seen coming closer to both officers, who were standing just outside the doorway in the hall. Officer B then fired both his Taser and service weapon simultaneously as they quickly retreated deeper into the hallway. Mr. Zook was standing in the doorway just vacated by the officers less than one second earlier, still holding the knife in his right hand. Mr. Zook refused to relinquish his knife and was shot four times and fell into the hallway with the knife still in his right hand.
The officers immediately called for medical assistance. Mr. Zook died shortly thereafter. Mr. Zook was later found to have at least 54 stab wounds to his neck, chest, and abdomen. Mr. Zook’s child slept through the event and officers quickly removed the child from the apartment unharmed.
In Michigan, police officers have the same right to self-defense and defense of others as any other person. Michigan’s legal standard to use deadly force in self-defense or the defense of others is whether the person using force is reasonably in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm upon them or someone nearby.
At the time officers used force they objectively knew that Mr. Zook was armed with a knife, which would be legally considered a dangerous weapon. Mr. Zook was apparently actively suffering a mental health crisis, was not acting rationally, and just attempted to kill himself. He was not responding to commands while standing armed a very short distance from the officers. They also knew that Mr. Zook’s young child was present in the apartment with him.
The officers did not use deadly force until Mr. Zook objectively posed an imminent threat to their safety when he came toward them after unsuccessfully trying to use a Taser to disarm him. The facts and evidence in this case show that shooting was justified and the officers acted in lawful self-defense under Michigan law. As a result, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has determined that no charges will issue in this matter and the warrant request is denied.”