By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Kenyun Robert Smith, 25, was sentenced Friday to a minimum of 47 years in prison for shooting Kalamazoo Township Police Officer Evan Finch on March 27, 2025.
- Smith was convicted last month of nine felonies, including assault with intent to murder, following a jury trial.
- The shootout occurred near the Kalamazoo Public Schools Administration Building after officers responded to a domestic violence and felony assault call and Smith fled the scene.
- Another officer, from Western Michigan University, returned fire; both Smith and Finch were hospitalized.
- More than 20 law enforcement officers attended the sentencing; Kalamazoo Township Chief of Police Darien Smith asked the judge to impose a life sentence.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A judge sentenced Kenyun Robert Smith to a minimum of 47 years in prison Friday for shooting a Kalamazoo Township police officer during a mid-day pursuit last year, as more than 20 law enforcement officers looked on in the courtroom.
Smith, 25, was convicted last month of nine felonies, including assault with intent to murder, following a jury trial. Circuit Court Judge Pamela L. Lightvoet sentenced him to 45 to 70 years in prison for that charge, to run consecutively with a two-year felony firearms sentence. Smith was also sentenced on multiple additional firearms counts and three counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer.
The shooting occurred March 27, 2025, near the Kalamazoo Public Schools Administration Building on Howard Street. Former Kalamazoo Township Police Chief Bryan Ergang said officers had responded around 11 a.m. to a domestic violence and felony assault call on North Kendall Avenue, and Smith fled the scene. As officers pursued him, Smith turned and shot Officer Evan Finch; another officer, from Western Michigan University, returned fire. Both Smith and Finch were hospitalized.
Lt. Derek Thompson read a victim impact statement from Finch in court Friday. “I remember believing that if I lost consciousness, that would be the end of my life and I wouldn’t get to see my family again,” Thompson read. “I want the court to understand that this incident not only caused permanent injury, but also took away a sense of safety, altered my physical health, and disrupted my career, and inflicted severe trauma on my family and me.”
Kalamazoo Township Chief of Police Darien Smith asked the judge to impose a life sentence. “For Evan, March 27, 2025, was not simply another day at work. It was a moment that changed his life. It changed the lives of his family, his loved ones,” Chief Smith said. “Evan should have been able to go to work that day and done the job he loved and return home safely. Instead, he was shot.”
Smith, appearing in shackles, was largely silent during the hearing. His attorney said on his behalf that Smith did not intend to kill anyone.