A tragic incident claimed the life of 49-year-old Michael Mishaw, who was found shot to death in a parking lot on Jackson’s East Side. The discovery was made on the morning of Wednesday, January 28, 2026, when a passerby spotted his body near the back of a parking lot and called 911 at approximately 8:45 a.m.. Jackson Police responded to the specific location in the 1600 block of East Michigan Avenue, near the intersection with Elm Street and only a block from Orange Street.
Officers arrived to find Mishaw deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to his upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and Chief Christopher Simpson of the Jackson Police Department later confirmed the death was being investigated as a homicide, stating that “Evidence supports a homicide” rather than suicide.
The police investigation also considered a separate 911 call from earlier that morning, around 2:13 a.m., that reported several shots fired in the vicinity of Orange Street—a location very close to the parking lot where Mishaw was later found. Officers checked the area after that initial call but reported finding nothing at that time.
Police have identified three individuals as persons of interest in the homicide. These three people were detained and questioned by detectives, but as of the latest reports, no formal arrests have been made in connection with Mishaw’s death. Investigators have canvassed the neighborhood, speaking with residents and businesses to gather information and any potential video footage that could aid the case.
A key part of the evidence gathering centers on security footage from the parking lot area. Roger Maufort, the owner of the Seed Cellar—a business that shares the parking lot—confirmed he is working with police and has provided video surveillance footage from his four-camera system. Maufort stated that the police requested footage specifically from about 2:20 a.m. through 8:45 a.m. on the morning of the shooting. He also noted the parking lot has a history of occasional drug activity, calling it a “rendezvous area once in a while”.
The fatal shooting has stirred concern and frustration among some Jackson residents about ongoing violence in the city. One 17-year-old resident, Phoenix Kellogg, expressed a sentiment heard by others, saying, “People are dying like every day in the city I grew up in. It sucks to hear how bad it’s gotten”. The incident marks the city’s second homicide of the year.
The Jackson Police Department continues its active investigation. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Thomas Tinklepaugh directly or provide an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers. While strong leads are being pursued, the official motive for the shooting and the precise circumstances that led Michael Mishaw to the parking lot that night have not yet been publicly established.