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Parents of man killed in Wayne police shooting want transparency
The controversial incident has sparked a flashpoint of protests by community activists to release the footage to the public.
WAYNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - The parents of John Zook, Jr want transparency. They’ve seen the video of their son’s violent and deadly confrontation with Wayne police.
Now, they want that video released to the public.
"You let John down. you let our family down, the community. They don’t know how much damage they caused," said John Zook Sr.
It’s been two months since John Zook, Sr. lost his 40-year-old son. A son he still calls "Junior."
"You couldn’t walk down the street without him getting onto a conversation with you," John Sr. said.
Since John Zook, Jr’s death, his parents — and community activists — have asked the City of Wayne to release the body camera video of officers responding — and later — killing John Jr during a mental health emergency call he made.
So far, his father, stepmother, and sister have seen an edited version of the video.
"Once they knocked on the door, he had blood on his chest, he had a knife," said John Sr. "So the officer said, ‘Put the knife down. Put the knife down.’
"He puts the knife down to the side, and he said, ‘Taser, Taser, Taser.’ They tased him twice, and immediately — a split second — they shot him six times."
The controversial incident has sparked a flashpoint of protests by community activists to release the footage.
Todd Perkins is the family’s attorney.
"There’s a level of distrust that’s created - even if it’s unearned, even if it’s not real," Perkins said. "What we’re asking the City of Wayne to do, is to take a step into the realm of transparency and release the tape. Release the tape for the public’s consumption. They’re entitled to know."
"It’s like they’re hiding something - I don’t know if it’s the City of Wayne, the council, the people," said Sharon Lewis-Zook, his step mother.
FOX 2 reached out to Wayne Mayor John Rhaesa. He tells FOX 2 he’s meeting with his legal team before officially responding.
We are waiting on a response from Wayne police about the status of the officers involved.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing a warrant request involving those officers.
"They were totally unprofessional," said John, Sr. "When you get to a scene like that, you’re supposed to act like it is a family member. A family member — what do you do? You talk to them. You get them to talk. You get them an ambulance. You do tase them and shoot six times a family member, do you? No."
Attorney Perkins says he’s filed a Freedom of Information Act request. it’s now in the hands of Michigan State Police. There is no timetable on when it will be completed.