Just days after the death of Patrick Lyoya, Michigan city released videos which show how the 26-year-old unarmed Black man was fatally shot by an officer during a traffic stop.
The Grand Rapids Police Department said that Lyoya died after an officer’s gun “discharged” during a “lengthy struggle.” However, the victim’s family has claimed that the video of the shooting reveals how Lyoya was killed “execution-style.”
City Manager Mark Washington offered his condolences to the family of Lyoya and referred to the video as “painful to watch.” His comments came as he spoke during a news conference announcing the release of the video footages that have been taken from police body camera, dashcam, cell phone, and home surveillance system on the day of the incident.
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Police said that the videos have not been edited. Only some parts have either been redacted or blurred for privacy reasons.
On April 4, a police officer is said to have pulled over a vehicle for a traffic stop. The driver got out of the vehicle and started to escape from the scene at some point.
Not long after, “there was a lengthy struggle, I’m told it was over a minute and a half or two minutes of fighting,” Police Chief Eric Winstrom said previously about the incident. “During the struggle, the officer’s weapon discharged, killing the man.”
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One of the footage, which was taken from a cell phone, reportedly shows the officer shooting Lyoya in the back of the head after telling him to let go of the taser, Fox 17 reported.
Dashcam footage shows the officer walking up to Lyoya and telling him to stay in the car. The two appear to talk for a few minutes before Lyoya starts to walk away. This is when the officer grabs his wrist and Lyoya pulls his arm and tries to run from the scene.
The officer-involved shooting incident sparked multiple protests and rallies. On Tuesday evening, dozens of people called for justice as they rallied outside a City Commission meeting.
In a statement to CNN, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said in part, “We are all working through a range of emotions from anger to confusion to grief but I’m confident as a community that we’re also patient and steadfast in our commitment to get to the truth.”
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Civil rights attorney Ben Crump released a statement after the videos were released.
“Patrick Lyoya immigrated to the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to pursue the American Dream and provide a better and safer life for himself and his family. Instead, what found him was a fatal bullet to the back of the head, delivered by an officer of the Grand Rapids Police Department,” Crump said. “The video clearly shows that this was an unnecessary, excessive, and fatal use of force against an unarmed Black man who was confused by the encounter and terrified for his life. It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this officer even though the officer used violence against him in several instances for what was a misdemeanor traffic stop.
“We demand that the officer who killed Patrick not only be terminated for his use of excessive and fatal force, but be arrested and prosecuted for the violent killing of Patrick Lyoya,” Crump added.