Washtenaw County deputies fired 27 rounds into John Andrew Jenuwine’s overturned van. He was unarmed. His family says they waited nearly 18 hours to be told he was dead.
John Andrew Jenuwine was 34 years old, a Navy veteran, a laser-equipment technician, a son, a brother, an outdoorsman, and a man who, according to his obituary, served six years in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Marine City High School in 2009. He died on January 6, 2026, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Young Colonial Chapel Funeral Home, Inc.)
The official story began with two 911 calls. At about 1:24 a.m., a caller reported a white moving or construction-style van driving erratically. Six minutes later, another caller said the driver of a van had threatened his wife with what he believed was a handgun, and described “two Black males” in the van. (WDIV)
Jenuwine was not two people. He was not Black. He was alone in the van, according to reporting citing family attorney Todd Flood. Police had a white van. That was apparently enough. (FOX 2 Detroit)
Deputies tried to stop the van. Jenuwine did not pull over, and a chase followed through Ypsilanti. Reports differ on the duration: FOX 2 reported about 14 minutes, while ClickOnDetroit described a 32-minute pursuit. What is clear is that the chase ended near Prospect and Towner after a sheriff’s vehicle struck the van, causing it to flip onto its side. (FOX 2 Detroit) (WDIV)
Then came the fatal words: “He’s got a gun.”
Dashcam footage reportedly captured a deputy yelling that Jenuwine had a gun. Local reporting says no gun was visible in the video, and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that no firearm was found in the vehicle. (The Eastern Echo)
That did not stop the shooting.
According to Flood Law and multiple local reports, deputies fired 27 rounds into the overturned van. Jenuwine was struck seven times. An independent autopsy cited by the family’s attorney found he bled to death. (The Eastern Echo)
The lawsuit filed by Jenuwine’s family says deputies did not render medical aid after shooting him. The family’s lawyers also allege the bullets came from multiple directions: top, bottom, front, and back of the van. Attorney Todd Flood said deputies were shooting so recklessly they could have hit each other. (The Eastern Echo)
This is the familiar police script: call in a vague threat, chase a vehicle, crash it, yell “gun,” shoot first, and let the dead man carry the suspicion afterward. Except here, the gun was not there.
Jenuwine’s family says they were not notified for roughly 17 to 18 hours. His parents, Larry and Kelly Jenuwine, have publicly accused the sheriff’s office of failing their son and failing them after his death. (WDIV) (The Eastern Echo)
The case is now in court. The family has filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against Washtenaw County and others, while Michigan State Police completed its external investigation and forwarded the report for prosecutor review. The Michigan Attorney General’s office is also reviewing the incident. (PacerMonitor) (wemu.org)
The deputies involved were placed on administrative leave. That is the usual soft landing after a citizen gets the hard ending. (FOX 2 Detroit)
Running from police is not a capital offense. Driving a white van is not proof of assault. A shouted “gun” does not magically produce a weapon. And an overturned vehicle full of bullets is not public safety.
John Andrew Jenuwine was unarmed. He was shot seven times. Twenty-seven rounds were fired. No gun was found.
That is not a mistake. That is a system doing what it is allowed to do until someone makes it stop.
