Police in Lansing acted in self-defense when an armed man was fatally shot

LANSING, MI – Two Lansing police officers acted in self-defense when they shot a man who reached for a gun in his waistband as police ordered him to lie on the ground, the state Attorney General’s Office said.

Stephen Luis Romero, 33, of Lansing, was killed in his driveway on December 1, 2023.

Lansing Police responded that same evening to a report of domestic violence with a shot fired west of Bancroft Park between Lake Lansing Road and East and East César E. Chávez Avenue.

Several people called 911, including Romero’s wife, who said she was alone in a car in the driveway. She told dispatchers that Romero was drunk, attacked her and brandished a firearm.

Related: Police identify man who died after being shot by police in Lansing

When two police officers arrived at the scene, Romero was standing next to the open driver’s door. Police ordered him to show his hands and lie on the ground. He showed his hands and knelt down.

Police ordered him to lie face down on the ground, but instead he lifted his shirt and showed a gun in his waistband, the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

“After further urgent instructions from the officers to lie face down on the ground, Mr. Romero instead reached for the pistol in his waistband and both officers opened fire. After being struck and dropping to the ground, Mr. Romero again reached for the pistol, grabbed it, and this time pulled it from his waistband. Both officers again fired several shots,” the statement said.

Police and paramedics rendered medical aid before Romero was taken to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival, just after midnight.

The statement said officers did not fire until Romero had his hand on the gun.

The agency’s review included written reports from officers on the scene, footage from a Lansing Police Department body-worn camera and evidence from a state police investigation.

“Under all of the facts and circumstances known to the officers that day, their use of deadly force in self-defense and in defense of others was justified. Police officers have the same right to self-defense as anyone else. The right to fire a weapon in self-defense requires an honest and reasonable belief that an officer is in danger of being killed or seriously injured,” the statement said.

“Here, the Department concluded, considering all of the facts and circumstances available, that the Lansing Police officers acted in their own defense and in defense of Mr. Romero’s wife in the vehicle next to him and did not act in a manner that would warrant criminal charges.”

It is the policy of the Ingham County District Attorney’s Office to request the Attorney General to review cases of fatal police shootings for possible misconduct or criminal offenses.

Romero’s wife, Ashley, has filed a lawsuit in federal court against two police officers and the Lansing Police Department. The suit alleges the officers used excessive force, but attorneys for the defendants said the officers used reasonable force and asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed.