East Lansing residents are demanding greater transparency and accountability from police following a decision not to pursue charges against a woman involved in an incident outside Harper’s Restaurant last August.
During Monday night’s East Lansing City Council meeting, residents voiced concerns after the city attorney announced Friday that no charges would be filed against Mayanna Collins. The city attorney also defended the actions of an officer captured in an online video repeatedly punching Collins, a Black woman, while she was being restrained.
One speaker criticized police handling of several recent incidents, including the April fatal shooting of Michigan State University student Isaiah Kirby. Police said Kirby was armed with a knife and running toward officers when he was shot and killed.
The speaker also referenced Lonnie Smith and Mason Woods, who were pepper-sprayed while being arrested during MSU’s welcome week in 2025. The comments drew a comparison to a recent incident in which police shot and killed a runaway cow after it escaped a trailer on U.S. 127 and broke through multiple fences.
Lansing Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder
In a separate case, 37-year-old Marcus Lee Hayes has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder and mutilation in the 2024 killing of Zaccari Taylor in Lansing.
According to the case details in the report, Hayes and his brother, Leonard, became involved in a fight with Taylor at a home on Georgetown Boulevard. Taylor was strangled, and Hayes, his brother and a third defendant, Terrence Jones, took his body to another residence on Malcolm X Street, where it was dismembered.
Leonard Hayes was convicted and sentenced to life in prison earlier this year. Jones pleaded guilty to lesser charges of being an accessory to the crime.
Lansing Township Police Investigate Fatal Shooting
Lansing Township police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Tuesday.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired near Michigan Avenue and Hayes Street. A man later arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound and died from his injuries.
Authorities have not announced any arrests in connection with the shooting.
Michigan U.S. Senate Candidates Clash Over Tariffs
Meanwhile, Michigan’s U.S. Senate candidates debated the economy Tuesday during an event hosted by the Detroit Economic Club, with tariffs emerging as a major point of disagreement.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed criticized tariffs, arguing they hurt workers and increase costs for consumers. He said Americans pay an average of approximately $5,600 annually because of tariffs and called for stronger action against monopolies and oligopolies through regulation.
Republican Mike Rogers defended tariffs, pointing to General Motors’ plans to build approximately 500,000 additional vehicles in the United States. Rogers argued that the policies could benefit Michigan by encouraging domestic manufacturing.
“If it’s good for Michigan, I’m going to be for it. If it’s bad for Michigan, I’m going to be against it,” Rogers said.
The economic forum came ahead of the candidates’ final debate, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in Detroit. WXYZ-TV is set to moderate the debate, with Election Day 13 days away at the time of the report.
